Louisiana Families for Vaccines

I Didn’t Vaccinate Any of My 6 Children — Then I Changed My Mind

"Changing my mind on vaccines has allowed me to reflect on how my decisions impact my family.

I'm realizing the decision we made early on hurt my kids — and others. All I can do is recognize the harm I’ve caused, take responsibility, and move forward."

www.whattoexpect.com/family/real-...

Do COVID-19 vaccines work? ✅ Yes.
📊 In 2024–25, adults 65+ who got the updated shot were ~50% less likely to be hospitalized.
🏠 Vaccinated people were 45% less likely to pass COVID-19 at home.
🛡️ Bottom line: vaccines prevent the worst outcomes.
#RootedInProtection
www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa...

COVID-19 vaccines are the most closely monitored in U.S. history. 🌎 13B+ doses given, rare side effects identified, 30+ studies still underway.
✨ No vaccine has ever been tracked like this one — that’s why we can trust it.
#RootedInProtection 💛
🔗 www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa...

🤰 COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy protects two people: you & your baby.

✅ Safe (no ↑ miscarriage, preterm birth, or anomalies)
🍼 61% lower risk of baby’s hospitalization

💛 One vaccine. Two protections.
#RootedInProtection

🔗NEJM article: bit.ly/47wlH3K

COVID-19 isn’t gone — and it still impacts the most vulnerable. 🌿

🆕 Fall 2025: a new JN.1-based vaccine (LP.8.1) arrives to better match circulating viruses. One visit can cover COVID, flu, & RSV protection.

✅ Stronger protection, one appointment.
#RootedInProtection
www.fda.gov/vaccines-blo...

Louisiana officials waited months to warn public of whooping cough outbreak After a whooping cough outbreak killed two infants, Louisiana health officials waited months to officially alert physicians or do public outreach. That's not the typical public health response.

"By late January 2025, two babies had died [of pertussis] in Louisiana.

But the Louisiana Department of Health waited two months to send out a social media post suggesting people talk to their doctors about getting vaccinated."

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

🎃 Say Boo to the Flu! 👻
LFV + VCOM–Louisiana ACOEP are hosting a FREE drive-up adult flu shot clinic on Fri, Oct 31 • 5–9 PM at Frenchman’s Bend Country Club (Monroe) — no appointment or insurance needed. Flu shots (incl. high-dose 65+) given onboard the VCOM mobile medical unit. #FightFlu #Vaccines

I am so happy there is now an RSV vaccine. I would have given anything for this vaccine when I was pregnant with the kids. I love science.

Pregnant? An RSV vaccine at 32–36 wks (during RSV season) passes protective antibodies to your newborn from day one. 🛡️🍼 #RootedInProtection
vaccinateyourfamily.org/respiratory-...

Open Letter to LDH — Louisiana Families for Vaccines Open Letter to LDH

Sign our petition demanding LDH reverses this dangerous policy to not support vaccine clinics for our communities and to instead promote vaccine access across the state!!

Abraham’s flu shot fickleness ignores Louisiana’s health care access issues • Louisiana Illuminator Dr. Ralph Abraham, Louisiana’s surgeon general, made it abundantly clear why the state would not promote the flu vaccine or hold events offering it to the public.

“We expect unsound public health policy without rationale or evidence from the likes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has no background in medicine. But it’s disappointing coming from a longtime Louisiana physician who’s taken an oath to act for the benefit of the sick and do no harm.“

“What was a natural disaster with COVID-19 has been replaced by the human-made disaster of the dismantling of public health.”

- @drdemetre.bsky.social at the National Conference of Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships hosted by @vaccinatein.bsky.social

“Children who use VFC have been deprived the updated vaccine for weeks while we have been waiting for a signature,” Dr. Demetre Daskalakis.

Real world data is in: babies given nirsevimab were 80% less likely to be hospitalized with RSV. ❤️

Protection matters most in those first fragile months. 🌿

#RootedInProtection
🔗 doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0380

RSV isn’t just a “bad cold”
👶 Nearly every child gets it by age 2
👵 #1 cause of hospitalization in babies <1
🛡️ 120K hospitalizations & 10K deaths in adults 50+ each year
Vaccines work & antibodies protect
💛 Stay #RootedInProtection
vaccinateyourfamily.org/respiratory-...
#vaxyourfam #winterwellness

✨ Flu shots protect the moments that matter most. A meta-analysis of 28 studies found flu shots cut child hospitalizations by 57%. 💛

AAP&CDC advise yearly for kids 6mo+, pregnant women & adults.

vaccinateyourfamily.org/respiratory-...

publications.aap.org/redbook/reso...
#RootedInProtection

The seasons are changing. 🍂✨

One yearly flu shot:
🌱 Protects kids
🌱 Shields adults 50+
🌱 Safeguards newborns

Stay #RootedInProtection

vaccinateyourfamily.org/respiratory-...

#WinterWellness #VaxYourFam

Tell your friends in New Hampshire to connect with our newest chapter! nhfamiliesforvaccines.org/join-us

The evidence is clear and overwhelming. Vaccines do not cause autism. Great resource explaining the science from @childrensphila.bsky.social

Innovations In: RSV The prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has seen incredible advancement in the past few years. In this editorially independent package, Scientific American explores breakthroughs in immuni...

This package from @sciam.bsky.social illustrates why vaccines against RSV are important for older adults, pregnant women and anyone who is immunocompromised, like heart transplant recipient Steven Weitzen.
“There's no vaccine I haven’t received,” he says.
www.scientificamerican.com/report/innov...

Why vaccines matter for children 10 facts about vaccines, child survival and global progress.

www.gavi.org/vaccineswork...

No child should die from preventable diseases. Yet more than 14 million infants did not receive a single vaccine last year, leaving them at risk of preventable, severe illnesses and death.

👉https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/why-vaccines-matter-children

2025 Guide to School Vaccine Requirements in Every State School vaccination requirements vary widely by state, leaving many parents unsure about what's mandated and what exemptions exist. Here, experts break down federal recommendations, state laws, exempti...

www.parents.com/state-by-sta...

the best way to defend vaccine access is to join together! so many great orgs here. thank you @lafamilies4vax.bsky.social for compiling. please share folks! on and off bluesky :)

Thank you so much for sharing!!

Did you know that we are part of a growing Families for Vaccines grassroots network of vaccine advocates around the country? Check out our starter pack! We’ll add to it as more of our chapters join us here on Bluesky, so stay tuned!

Sen. Cassidy Oppose RFK — Louisiana Families for Vaccines

Send a message to Senator Cassidy today: lafamiliesforvaccines.org/cassidy-oppose-rfk

History will remember whether Bill Cassidy acted to protect Americans' health • Louisiana Illuminator Cassidy cast the deciding vote to confirm RFK Jr. after he promised to uphold vaccine confidence. He has since broken those commitments.

“Senator Cassidy, history will remember whether you protected the health of our people or stood silent as Americans suffered…I am doing all I can to give my children the future they deserve. Let’s “work on it” together.”

American Families for Vaccines RFK Action Center — American Families for Vaccines

RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory committee isn’t making science-based decisions. This is what happens when a political appointee hijacks the process. With RFK Jr. in charge of HHS, this chaos will only get worse.

Contact your members of Congress NOW & tell them it’s time to remove Kennedy from office.

Sign the Petition Protect Our Families' Access to Vaccines: A Petition to ACIP

Please sign and share: Help get 1,000 signatures on this petition to the ACIP to protect vaccine access!

They meet this week, please don’t delay!

@voices4vaccines.bsky.social