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Kids must have shots to attend school By Damian Mann A record 1,357 children in Jackson County must show proof of immunization by Feb. 21 or face exclusion from schools and day-care centers. That�s roughly a 50 percent increase in the number of children who still need vaccines over last year, according to the Jackson County Department of Health and Human Services. The number has jumped primarily because seventh-graders are now required to have a second measles vaccine, must be current on the hepatitis B series, and should be immunized against chickenpox or provide a history of having chickenpox. Carol Irwin, a community health nurse, said 1,145 children haven�t received all the shots required, and 212 must clear up missing information in their records. Irwin said most of the immunizations don�t hurt, other than a slight sting. "The measles shot stings," Irwin said. "But I�ve had the measles, and I�d rather have the shots." For a child under 5, the series of shots can take up to a year, Irwin said. Older children can receive the immunizations within a seven- to eight-month period. Children receive shots for tetanus and diphtheria, hepatitis B, polio, chicken pox, measles, mumps and rubella. If these children don�t show proof of receiving the vaccines by Feb. 21, they cannot be allowed back to school until they clear up their immunization record. Irwin said the county expects that up to 18 percent of the 1,357 students � nearly 250 children � will receive exclusion notices. A child doesn�t need to have all the shots in order to be allowed back to school. Irwin said parents just need to show they are keeping current with the immunization series. Parents also can apply for a medical or religious exemption, but the student cannot come to school during a disease outbreak. Kathy McCollum, Medford School District�s director of elementary education, said a clinic was held at McLoughlin Middle School in October to make sure the seventh-graders got their shots. The district has found a way to encourage sixth-graders to get their shots for seventh grade. "All sixth-graders who are immunized will get first choice on electives," McCollum said. District nurse Barbara Barnhill said Medford schools instituted a policy where a child is automatically excluded if the immunization record is not kept current on a month-by-month basis. "We adopted this policy because we were getting worried about those children sitting in classes who were out of date on their immunizations," she said. Even so, Barnhill anticipates that there will be a greater-than-average number of students who might have to be excluded on Feb. 21. Almost 32,000 children statewide will get reminder notices, but the Oregon Department of Human Services Health Division anticipates a record number of children could be sent home from school or child-care facility. "Diseases that are potentially dangerous or even life-threatening still exist, and immunization is our best prevention tool against them," said Dr. Martin Wasserman, administrator of the state health offices. Immunizations are available at the Jackson County Health and Human Services building at 1005 E. Main St. Building A. Hours of operation are 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. For more information call 774-8209 or (800)723-3638 weekdays. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.