ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605160036
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER@
A new coalition of health care providers wants to vaccinate more New River Valley children at a younger age.
Nearly every child in Virginia has been fully immunized by age 6. State law says they can't enter school unless they've had their shots.
Yet the number of children who have received the necessary vaccines at age 2 is much lower. Health Department statistics say about four in 10 New River Valley 2-year-olds are at risk because they haven't been immunized for childhood diseases such as measles, whooping cough, tetanus or meningitis.
Toddlers are more defenseless against these maladies because their immune systems aren't well developed, said Sylvia Bond, a New River Health District nurse. "This is the group we really want to focus on."
She and about 20 others gathered Tuesday at St. Albans Hospital to form a community task force designed to give unvaccinated young children a shot in the arm.
It will be a formidable task, according to Dr. Jody Hershey, local Health District director. He said identifying the children that need shots, educating and motivating their parents, and organizing health care providers in a common cause won't be easy.
A national program that aims to immunize 90 percent of preschool children by the year 2000 has seen some progress in Virginia. And a community program based in Roanoke has raised awareness in recent years about vaccinating young children.
Physicians, hospitals, social service agencies and community service groups have joined forces to advocate immunization and make vaccinations more accessible, said Donald Kees, a pediatrician at Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital.
Hershey wants to set up a similar program combining public and private health care providers in the New River Valley.
There was talk at the organizational meeting of setting up a computer database containing the names of children and their vaccination histories. Attendees agreed that would be a good idea, but wondered how receptive private physicians would be to sharing their patients' medical records.
Others said area hospitals and clinics should speak in a unified voice about the value of early immunizations, with literature prepared by the coalition to be handed out to patients.
Studies have shown that children from well-to-do families are just as likely to fall behind on their shots as children from poorer homes, Hershey said. "It's not just an indigent problem."
Access to immunizations and costs are concerns for all parents, said Angie Absher, a nurse and a mother. "I understand how parents get behind."
On average, the cost of a full range of shots for children runs in excess of $280, not counting physicians' fees, according to the Health Department.
Kees said the Roanoke program staged a successful and well-attended immunization clinic, with free shots administered by volunteer health care workers.
Not many parents seem to be aware that they can get free vaccinations for their young children - regardless of family income - at their local Health Department office, Bond said.
Hershey said more than 50 individuals have expressed interest in being part of the new immunization coalition.
It's appropriate for a wide spectrum of citizens to get involved, he said. Even though the region hasn't experienced an epidemic of childhood diseases, Hershey said, "Anytime you have a large number of children that aren't vaccinated, you have other people at risk."
For more information about the local childhood immunization task force, contact the New River Health District at 831-5774.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 linesby CNB