Louisiana
How will declining vaccination rates impact disease outbreaks in Louisiana?
Those exposed to measles can take MMR vaccine within 72 hours
Colleen Wallace, R.N., discusses how people exposed to measles have up to 72 hours to get a dose of MMR vaccine for protection.
Under Louisiana state law, children enrolled in any school within the state are required to receive immunizations against vaccine-preventable diseases, however, parents and guardians can request exemptions.
In addition to medical reasons, the state allows exemptions from vaccine requirements for religious and/or philosophical reasons, says the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH)
All requests for vaccine exemptions are granted, according to the LDH, yet higher rates of non-medical exemptions have been linked with increased disease transmission, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
What will happen if Louisiana loses herd immunity?
Maintaining adequate vaccination coverage is critical for establishing community protection, or herd immunity, which prevents the disease from spreading easily and helps to protect vulnerable individuals.
Ninety-five percent of a population needs to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity against highly infectious diseases like measles, while 90% is required for other diseases like diphtheria.
This percentage is set by the National Center for Health Statistics’ Healthy People (HP) 2030 target, which focuses on preventing infectious diseases, according to the CDC.
The amount of children vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis is below the HP2030 target of 90%, with most recent data showing 85% of children in Louisiana receiving full vaccinations, according to Johns Hopkins.
The percentage of children vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella is also below the HP2030 target of 95%, with most recent data showing 93% of children in Louisiana receiving immunizations.
A measles outbreak can indicate insufficient vaccine coverage within a population, and Louisiana reported three cases of measles in 2025. While this may seem like a low amount, even one case of measles triggers outbreak response activities as it is one of the most contagious diseases, according to Johns Hopkins.
If vaccine coverage continues to decline, outbreaks are likely to become inevitable and children will be in greater danger of severe illness and mortality, says Tulane University.
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.
Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.
The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.
“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”
The move would work in favor of incumbent 6th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.
The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.
According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.
It amounts to an intricate balancing act.
“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.
“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”
Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.
“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.
“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”
One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.
“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”
The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.
“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “
Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.
VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.
Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.
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