THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 20, 1994 TAG: 9408200270
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
As many as one-third of the city's sixth-graders may be prevented from attending the first day of classes next month unless they notify their schools soon that they've been vaccinated against measles.
School officials hope to avoid the chaos that occurred last year when hundreds of sixth-graders missed the first days of school because they hadn't gotten the free shot or didn't have proof of immunization.
Norfolk officials said Friday that at least 1,000 students this summer have failed to provide schools with the necessary information. There's no way the schools can process that many students and get them in class the first day, they said.
``This immunization thing has got us backed up against the wall,'' Norfolk public schools spokesman George Raiss said. ``It's going to be a mess the first day of school if the middle schools have to bar 1,000 students.''
South Hampton Roads school districts have wrestled with the problem since 1992, when Virginia began requiring that incoming sixth-graders get the booster, a 3-in-1 preventive shot called MMR that guards against measles, mumps and rubella.
Before 1992, only children entering kindergarten needed the measles vaccine. The state began requiring that sixth-graders get the booster shot after an outbreak of measles in the late 1980s and early 1990s alarmed public health officials.
So far this year, two cases of measles have been reported in Virginia, according to state Department of Health Immunization records. Last year, five cases of the highly contagious disease were reported, compared with 86 in 1990.
To avoid a backlog this year, Norfolk officials teamed with the Public Health Department this spring to set up in-school immunization clinics for fifth-graders.
But that apparently didn't solve the problem. Deputy Superintendent Frank Sellew earlier this month sent a letter to parents alerting them of the requirement - the third such letter since March.
``I don't know if they don't believe us, or what,'' Sellew said Friday.
``We're hoping that they've had the shots and just not told us,'' said Valerie Stallings, Norfolk's health director. ``It's moved from preventive to urgent. We really need these children ready for class the first day.''
In the Portsmouth public schools, which also had problems with immunizations last year, the outlook for this year is better. Largely because of in-school clinics held in spring, more than 80 percent of incoming sixth-graders already have shown proof of vaccination.
Other South Hampton Roads school districts have also had trouble getting the word out to parents, but the most serious problem this year appears to be in Norfolk.
Public health clinics throughout Hampton Roads are providing the immunization free of charge.
Local officials guess that some parents are still unfamiliar with the 3-year-old requirement. Other parents may just be unaware of the potential danger.
``Today's parents are young enough that they've never seen what a communicable disease will do as it spreads through a community. They're complacent,'' said Phyllis Bricker, supervisor of medical services for the Portsmouth public schools. ``When children die in front of your eyes, you take it seriously.'' MEMO: FREE IMMUNIZATIONS
In Norfolk, parents can get their children vaccinated against measles
without charge at the following Health Department locations. Times of
operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except where otherwise noted.
Little Creek Multipurpose Center: 7665 E. Sewells Point Road,
531-2100.
Berkley Neighborhood Center: 925 S. Main St., 494-2470.
Park Place Multipurpose Center: 606 W. 29th St., 683-9230 (Extended
hours 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday in August).
Huntersville Multipurpose Center: 800 Goff St., 683-9270.
Grandy Village Community Center: 3175 Kimball Terrace, 627-2613.
Berkley/Campostella Early Childhood Center: 1530 Cypress St.,
441-1977 (Hours: 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays in August).
Q & A
How can I find out if my child's measles immunization record is
current?
You can contact your private physician, your city's public health
department or the school your child will be attending. Parents can
contact the same sources for information about vaccines required before
children can enter kindergarten.
Why must sixth-graders receive a measles vaccine?
Largely as a preventive measure to combat an outbreak of measles in
the 1980s and early 1990s, national health officials recommended that
children between 5 and 12 receive a second booster shot to guard against
the disease. All 50 states require that children be vaccinated against
measles. Since 1992, Virginia has required that children get two
measles, or MMR, shots, one before kindergarten and one more before they
enter sixth grade.
KEYWORDS: IMMUNIZATION VACCINATION NORFOLK SCHOOLS MEASLES by CNB