School shots help improve immunization rate

Monday, Aug. 11, 2003 | 9:14 a.m.

The Clark County Health District will offer immunizations as part of its back-to-school program to immunize students at these locations:

3528 S. Maryland Parkway: Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Aug. 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

1300 W. Sunset Road, Henderson, Aug. 23 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Nevada got some good news with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recent release of childhood vaccination statistics.

But there's still a lot more that needs to be done to protect the state's children against disease, and it's a message that health officials hope to spread during August, which is National Immunization Awareness Month.

In 10 of the 11 child immunization categories tracked by the CDC, Nevada showed no statistically significant increases or decreases in the percentages of children who have had the shots.

However, in a relatively new immunization statistic, the most comprehensive category, Nevada had the seventh largest increase, 13 percent, in the number of children ages 19 months through 35 months who had received this series of shots.

That's the standard immunization series that includes the vaccinations for diphtheria and tetanus, polio, measles, hepatitis B and chicken pox, and all of the required booster shots.

Nevada law requires that all children be fully immunized before entering school, and the chicken pox vaccination is now required for students enrolling in public or private school for the first time.

Clark County Health District officials report that 96 percent of school-age children are fully immunized.

"Our disease incidents are low and our immunization rate is high, and it is a matter of education," Health District immunization coordinator Peggy Hensley said last week.

In the category that is used for comparisons of child immunization rates -- four or more doses of diptheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines as well as three or more doses of polio vaccines and one or more doses of any measles vaccine -- included 78.4 of Nevada's children in 2002.

Hensley said that was excellent news because it is a major improvement for the state.

The Health District immunizes roughly 60 percent of all newborns in Southern Nevada. By 2010, health officials nationwide want to have 90 percent of U.S. children immunized by the time they are 2 years old.

In Nevada, the effort includes extended immunization hours by the Health District. Its center at 625 Shadow Lane will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through through Sept. 12, Hensley said. The health center normally closes at 4:30 p.m.

Vaccinations will also be available at several local malls.

At the Meadows mall on Sunday, there were plenty of children with pre-shot jitters as they stood in line for their vaccinations or watched their siblings go through the pain first.

One-year-old Jasmine Winston started to cry as her father, Percy Winston, held her in his lap as she was getting her chicken pox shot. After watching her four siblings go through it themselves, the toddler knew the trip to the mall wasn't going to be a pleasant one.

"That's it. It's over," Percy Winston said as he calmed his crying daughter.

Winston and his wife Kecia Winston said they were not worried about getting the mandatory chicken pox shot for their children.

"Our pediatrician suggested the shot," said Kecia Winston.

The Winstons' 12-year-old daughter Keandra Mason, who was given a hepatitis A shot, was pleased to learn she's shot-free for a while.

"I've got 10 years" before another one is needed, Mason said.

Holding her upper arm where a Band-Aid was placed, 9-year-old Harley Jo Partch wasn't as pleased as Mason. But her mother, Margot Partch, said it was necessary to bring her before school starts.

"Whatever it takes to keep them healthy," Partch said.

The Health District charges a $15 administrative fee per child.

Health officials statewide say they hope to improve the state's immunization numbers, particularly in one category for which Nevada had the lowest rate in the nation in 2002 -- for the number of children who have had three or more doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which is more commonly known by its trade name, Prevnar. Only 13 percent of Nevada's children fell into that category compared with a national average of 41 percent. It protects against meningitis and bloodstream infections, health officials say.

Prevnar is designed to protect against pneumococcal disease, caused by bacteria that live in the mucous lining of the nose and in the back of the throat. They can cause respiratory, sinus or middle ear infections when plentiful enough.

Pneumococcal disease mainly strikes children under 5. Prior to the introduction of the vaccine, pneumococcal infections caused about 700 cases of meningitis, an inflammation of tissues surrounding the brain and spinal chord; 17,000 cases of bloodstream infections and 200 deaths each year in children under age 5 in the United States, according to the CDC.

About 5 percent of children under 5 with pneumococcal meningitis die from the infection, the CDC says.

Some Clark County parents have welcomed the new shot, Hensley said. There's "been raving and ranting about it," Hensley said.

The vaccine was added to the recommended schedule for immunizations after it was licensed in February 2000.

But not everyone agrees that babies should receive the vaccine. Some researchers and health advocates have questioned whether the possible benefits of the vaccine are outweighed by the health risks and they urge that parents do some research themselves and ask their pediatricians plenty of questions before deciding whether to obtain that particular vaccine for a baby.