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Berwick High School's Emily Lousteau hits the ball Tuesday in the junior varsity game against New Iberia. The JV loss 2-4. In varsity action the Lady Panthers fell 1-12.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is anarticle by local Centers for Disease Control Sentinel Physician Dr. Robert P. Blereau of Morgan City.
The Louisiana Department of Health has reported 11 cases of mumps in LSU students over the past few days.
We should all be aware of the increased possibility of mumps developing in our community with this outbreak being so close to home.
The mumps virus primarily affects the parotid gland located behind the jaw bone, the largest of the saliva producing glands. The other smaller salivary glands, as well as the testes and ovaries, may also be affected.
Pain and swelling of the involved organ is the most prominent symptom. Associated symptoms are fever, headache, earache, and muscle, joint or abdominal pain.
Mumps can only be prevented by getting the mumps vaccine which is combined with measles and rubella (German measles) in the MMR vaccine.
Since the MMR vaccine is only 88 percent effective in preventing mumps, the possibility of mumps must still be considered when signs and symptoms are consistent.
The CDC-preferred test for the mumps parotitis is done on saliva swabbed from inside the cheek on the side of the affected gland.
A blood test can also be done if it is more than eight days since symptoms began but is not as reliable as the saliva swab test because of both false positive and false negative results.
Anyone suspected of mumps should be isolated immediately, including no work and no school.
Mumps is spread from two days before until five days after onset of symptoms.
Tips to prevent mumps include the following. Do not eat or drink from others utensils. Wash your hands frequently. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
It takes about two to three weeks for symptoms to begin after contracting the virus.
Children are routinely vaccinated with MMR at 12 to 15 months and a booster shot at 4 to 6 years.
Two shots of MMR are required for school entry in most states, including Louisiana.
Anyone born in 1957 or later who doesn’t have evidence, i.e., blood test of mumps immunity, should receive two doses of MMR at least 28 days apart
Generally, individuals born prior to 1957, the year the MMR vaccine was introduced, are considered immune to measles, mumps and rubella since these diseases are very contagious and it is assumed almost all people had them.
In these cases, a simple blood test can usually provide the correct answer.
Healthcare workers definitely need documentation of two MMR shots or blood test evidence of having had the disease. If not, they require two MMR shots.
At present, there is no CDC recommendation for a third MMR shot, though this may be considered in particularly vulnerable individual cases.
There is no specific treatment for mumps. Supportive care includes fluids, fever and pain medication, rest and isolation.
If you have symptoms of mumps or questions concerning your mumps immunization status, consult your personal medical care provider.
Additional information is available at ldh.la.gov/mumps.

MORGAN CITY
Housing Authority meeting 5 p.m. March 23.

GOLF FUNDRAISER
A That Just Takes the Cake Golf Tournament set at St. Mary Golf and Country Club, Berwick, Saturday, April 22. Teams of three players is $300 per team. Sponsorships accepted at several levels. Mulligans available at a max of two per player. Proceeds benefit American Heart Association and research, education and local programs. For info call Oren Dupre, 985-498-2926 or Chad Ross, 985-384-8500. For sponsorship call Gwen Luc, 985-372-8520.

FISHING RODEO
Morgan City Fishing Rodeo, June 10, has categories for: redfish, bass, speckled trout and catfish derby. Individual’s entry, $100 per boat, per category. Sponsorship level available: corporate, $500; gold, $1,000; and diamond, $2,500. Corporate sponsorship includes one team entry for one category; gold, a team entry for two categories; and diamond, two team entries for all categories. Entry deadline 8 p.m. June 7. Fish 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weigh-in begins at 2 p.m. at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. For info visit online, www.mcofr.com.

GOLF SCRAMBLE
Fundraiser by Morgan City Fishing Rodeo at 4 p.m. June 9 at Atchafalaya at Idlewild Golf Course near Patterson. For info visit online, www.mcofr.com.

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana’s state senators may derail plans by Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration to eliminate a Medicaid program that provides behavioral health services to thousands of children.
The Edwards administration intends to shutter the program on April 1, to save the state more than $2 million this year. Program elimination is part of the Department of Health’s response to cuts levied by lawmakers in last month’s special session to close a budget deficit.
But the Senate Health and Welfare Committee scheduled a Wednesday hearing on the emergency regulation that was issued to eliminate the mental health treatment services. If senators on the committee reject the regulation, that could stop the closure.
Committee Chairman Fred Mills, R-Parks, said senators have been inundated with calls from health providers in the program and from parents of children who receive services.
“We need a full hearing to understand why this program needs to be totally terminated on April 1,” Mills said. “As of now, as of everything I’ve learned, it just does not make sense to totally shut the program down.”
The program provides what are called “psychosocial rehabilitation services” for people under the age of 21, services aimed at helping children with behavioral health and emotional problems to remain in their homes and function in school.
More than 47,000 children and teenagers were served in 2016, according to data provided to the Senate committee, receiving help with daily living skills and coping strategies.
Ending the program next month will cut spending in the health department’s budget by nearly $6 million through June 30, though only $2.2 million of that is state funding. The rest would have been paid by the federal government.
The Louisiana Department of Health wouldn’t comment Tuesday on the upcoming Senate oversight hearing or its decision to cut the behavioral health program. In its emergency regulation outlining the planned closure, the department describes it as an action taken “to avoid a budget deficit.”
The agency, which has a more than $12 billion budget this year, took a $41 million cut to its state financing during the February special session to rebalance the state budget and close a more than $300 million hole. Cuts must be made before the June 30 end of the financial year.