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Students get last-minute shots in the arm By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings No shot, no school. Children of all ages lined up at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Rogue Valley in Ashland to receive last minute immunization shots before today's exclusion date. Those who missed their Tuesday appointment won't be able to walk the halls, learn with their classmates or eat cafeteria food until their immunizations are up to date, according to state health officials. Susan Bizeau, a community health nurse based at the Ashland High School health center, said that it would be too soon to tell how many students would be excluded from school today. "A lot of people could be waiting until the very last minute but children who do not have their vaccinations by the due date cannot attend public or private school or take part in preschool, Head Start or daycare," Bizeau said. Bizeau said that at least 26 children were immunized at the Unitarian Church Tuesday. Students like Ryan Renteria, an Ashland Middle School seventh-grader, were among those who squeaked in at the fellowship for their shots before it was too late. "My mom came and picked me up and said 'We gotta do this,'" Renteria said. Renteria said he had his blood drawn several weeks ago so his mid-afternoon immunization shot was a walk in the park. "Shots aren't real scary. It's surprising but not painful," he said. His mother, Janet, said the family received a notice to get their immunizations up to date last Thursday. According to Belinda Brown, an Ashland Community Hospital registered nurse stationed at AMS, both area schools and the health department sent letters out to families with children encouraging them to get immunized or get pulled out of class. "They'll (students) be called out of class and their parents will be called to pick them up," Brown said, of the families who failed to get their immunizations on time. As of Tuesday, Brown said 57 AMS students were in need of shots while 108 filed religious exemption and two filed medical exemptions. At the elementary level, 10 students still needed immunizations while another 182 filed religious exemption. AHS numbers were not available but an estimated 13 students would be excluded from class this morning for not meeting immunization requirements. According to the Oregon Department of Health and Human Services, in 2002, 8,263 children throughout Oregon were unable to attend school or daycare because they missed the deadline. Health officials say the number has increased in recent years because of additional requirements - including vaccinations for Hepatitis B, measles and chickenpox - at the middle school level. While more than 8,000 children missed the date last year, another 4,573 or 2.44 percent filed for religious exemption, according to Amanda Timmons, school and family law coordinator for the state health department. "We would expect it not to change significantly this year," Timmons said. In 2001-2002, more than 12 percent of Ashland students claimed an exemption based on religious or medical reasons. This year's results will not be available until March. Brown said that while the reasons for opting to bow out of immunizations vary, she feels all families should educate themselves before making a decision. "I would just caution people to make sure they have accurate information from a reputable resource because there is a lot of misinformation out there," Brown said. "I really encourage people to talk to their own physicians." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -