During the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) quarterly board meeting Wednesday, State Health Officer and Vicksburg resident Dr. Dan Edney reported they are being “vigilant” about the H5N1 – also known as Bird Flu – cases that have been reported in chickens in both Copiah and Green counties.

“We had two chicken flocks that were affected, and the Board of Animal Health is doing an amazing job working with the Department of Agriculture,” Edney said.

Dr. Jim Watson, a veterinarian with Mississippi Boards of Animal Health, ordered a depopulation in the two affected flocks with workers all wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), Edney said.

Edney said the MSDH has been able to support these efforts by providing PPE.

“We have plenty of PPE in our strategic supply warehouses and we are mobilizing that to support them because if we invest in helping protect them then we are able to protect the population and so far, so good,” Edney said.

Edney also reported the MSDH has received full accreditation status as a state department of health while also recognizing the team that worked on the 18-month process.

“This is the objective evidence that we are competent in what we do and more than competent that we excel in what we do,” Edney said. “This demonstrates we were maintaining excellence in public health as a department of health at a state level. Not every state has this recognition, and I am very proud that we do.”

Other business included was an epidemiology report. Edney said like the rest of the country, Mississippi is seeing a rise in pertussis-whooping cough, but thus far he said, the epidemiology team has been able to work each case.

“We are watching these rates closely,” Edney said, of whooping cough, which is a vaccine-preventable illness.

“We are not out of line with the rest of the country, but it is one of the areas of concern I have,” he said.

West Nile cases were also up this summer and while Mississippi is not out of line with the rest of the Gulf states, Edney said this is a situation they are having to monitor and indicated there was not as much investment in mosquito mitigation that may be needed.

“This may be something we ask for more intervention, because we definitely had more deaths this year,” he said.

In other updates:

•  The Center for Public Health Transformation has been working with eligibility and determination on the open enrollment system during the open enrollment period for marketplace exchange, insurance plans and uninsured and is helping to better determine Medicaid eligibility and providing enrollment assistance.
• Part of the influenza response is the Test to Treat program, which not only includes testing at county health departments, but also treatment for those uninsured, was discussed.
• Through the Opioid and Substance Use Disorder program, in 2023 Mississippi saw a reduction in opioid deaths.
• A vote was held to propose to the legislative agenda to ask the state to have a public health trust fund to support important projects within the department of health and asking for a percentage of the medical cannabis tax revenue to be directed to public health.