STATE PROGRAM KEEPS MASS. KIDS HEALTHY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 2, 1993                   TAG: 9302020097
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON                                LENGTH: Short
STATE PROGRAM KEEPS MASS. KIDS HEALTHY
In the late 1980s when an outbreak of measles hit the rest of the nation hard, the epidemic barely touched Massachusetts.
Health officials say that was because the state has a free immunization program available to all children regardless of income, to protect against measles and other illnesses.
Massachusetts is one of several states that have free programs similar to the plan being considered by the Clinton administration. The state estimates 65 percent of children are vaccinated by age 2, and 99 percent by school age.
A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comparing Massachusetts measles rates to the nation from 1981 to 1990, found that Massachusetts' rate peaked below 2 cases per 100,000 residents during a national outbreak in 1989-90. The national rate jumped to about 11 cases per 100,000.
Physicians are allowed to charge to administer the state-supplied vaccinations, but must agree to waive the fee if patients cannot afford to pay.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB