Tooth decay with a side of bacterial meningitis: Louisiana GOP rages against public health | The Latest | Gambit Weekly

Despite a slew of health-related problems facing Louisianans — like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, reduced access to medical care, and high maternal and infant mortality rates — some GOP lawmakers are pushing back against longstanding, successful public health measures, in lockstep with the Trump administration.

Vaccines, of course, are once again in Republicans’ crosshairs.

Houma Rep. Beryl Amedee, a strong proponent of homeschooling, is sponsoring House Bill 737, which seeks to remove a state requirement for kids to get vaccinated against meningococcal disease.

The current law requires students to receive two shots before entering 6th grade and again in 11th grade. Like all state vaccination requirements, there are wide-ranging exemptions — including for personal or religious reasons and for students who are homeschooled.

Meningococcal disease is a severe, highly contagious bacterial illness that causes rashes, fevers, brain swelling (meningitis), diarrhea, confusion, body aches and even death in up 15% of cases — even with treatments.

Like numerous other preventable, contagious sicknesses that are spreading in the U.S. thanks to the anti-vax movement, meningococcal disease can have long-lasting impacts even after medical intervention and treatment, and it can continue to cause major health problems years after a person is first infected, that is, if they survive.

Another bill by Amedee, HB 452, “prohibits financial incentives or penalties to encourage health care providers to administer vaccinations.”

Ostensibly, this would prevent providers from receiving compensation from insurance companies for vaccinating patients. It also prevents them from being punished by companies if they choose not to. But it’s worth noting that the bill is rooted in a falsehood.

There is a widely circulated yet false claim that health care providers receive six-figure bonuses from insurance and pharmaceutical companies to meet vaccine “quotas” — which is simply not the case.

HB 926, meanwhile, filed by Chalmette Republican Rep. Mike Bayham, would prohibit the use of vaccine status to determine admission to public buildings and events.

The bill prevents “healthy individuals or alleged asymptomatic individuals” from being excluded from public activities based upon the individual declining medical intervention during an outbreak or public health emergency.

This is most certainly a response to many Covid-era emergency measures, when private businesses and other entities were strongly encouraged by local governments to turn people away from gathering spaces if they couldn’t show proof of vaccination, in order to prevent further spread of the virus.

There are no emergency restrictions in place currently.

—

Sen. Mike Fesi has sponsored a bill to prohibit mRNA vaccines from being administered through food.

This is also rooted in misinformation, as several social media accounts and blogs have circulated the false claim that these types of vaccines are going to be distributed to the masses, without their consent, through genetically engineered livestock, among other foods.

There is, however, some research being done that measures the effectiveness of mRNA treatments in pill capsule form, though it is not yet available to the public — nor would people be “dosed” against their will with it by the government.

Fesi, who has a background in the oil and gas industry — not medicine — has also returned with an anti-fluoride bill that would flip the current law on its side.

Currently, municipalities and local governments can have elections to vote on opting out of fluoridation of their water supply. To do so, 15% of registered voters in the areas served by the water system have to sign a petition, the governing authority has to call a local election and a majority of voters have to move to remove it from their water supply.

Under Fesi’s proposal, public water systems would be prohibited from adding fluoride to their water — unless 15% of registered voters vote to approve the addition of fluoride.

Fesi has framed the issue of fluoridating water as a matter of people getting “medicated without their consent” by the government.

It is unclear what his opinion is regarding other necessary chemicals and additives to drinking water that prevent bacterial growth and other potential public health hazards.

Last year, Fesi’s move to ban fluoride failed, after lawmakers heard from dozens of health care providers, dentists, pediatricians and other children’s advocacy groups who reminded lawmakers that fluoride — which is added to drinking water in small doses and monitored by health officials — has long been known to prevent tooth decay and strengthen enamel.

Homelessness issues 

Housing instability and homelessness remain hot topics at the legislature, as Louisiana, one of the poorest states in the country, continues to grapple with an affordable housing crisis, exacerbated by skyrocketing insurance rates and a lack of jobs that pay standard living wages.

Kenner Republican Rep. Debbie Villio’s solution is to essentially punish people for not having a roof over their heads.

Her bill, HB 211 would criminalize “public camping” in areas that aren’t designated camp sites.

The punishment for first-time offenders includes slapping them with a $500 fine and up to six months of prison time. A subsequent violation could warrant even harsher punishments: fines up to $1,000 and a potential two-year prison sentence with hard labor.

The bill would allow local governments to use their property to set up temporary city-run encampments that meet certain standards, and it also gives district courts the option to create a Homeless Court program.

HB 457 by Rep. Alonzo Knox, a New Orleans Democrat, wants to establish minimum housing standards for individuals experiencing homelessness and is pushing legislation that requires the state fire marshal to conduct inspections of facilities to oversee safety and sanitation.

New Orleans area homeless shelters faced scrutiny in recent years, with at least one low-barrier shelter reportedly being thrown into chaos amid staffing shortages, rampant drug use and other safety and sanitation concerns.

Knox’s bill also requires the health department to seek federal waivers to obtain funding for health care and housing services.

A related bill, HB 616, also by Knox, calls for greater oversight of publicly funded homeless service providers.