County to Offer Free Shots for Measles, Other Illnesses

With the new school year approaching, San Diego County will offer free vaccinations for various diseases Saturday, an event that carries special significance as the county fights a measles epidemic that has killed three children this year.

“When they go into the classroom, they have to show evidence that they got the shots,” said Sandy Ross, a nurse and immunization project coordinator for the county Department of Health Services.

The vaccinations will be available at seven public health centers in the county from 8 a.m. until noon.

Health officials hope to target school-age children and those under 5, the group hardest hit by the epidemic, Ross said.

“There is a higher attack rate in the preschool-age child because most of the kids have not gotten the shot,” Ross said.

Since January, three San Diego County children have died of measles. The most recent was a 13-month-old boy who died in May.

Of the more than 900 reported measles cases in San Diego, 433 involved children younger than 5; 230 involved children 5 to 18 and 249 involved adults.

The figures so far this year are more than four times as high as the 191 reported in 1989 and more than 26 times as high as the 35 reported in 1988.

Statistics from the state show that there have been 7,864 reported cases of measles in California since the first of the year, including 46 deaths, said Jaime Arteaga, a California Department of Health Services spokesman.

An immunized public is the cure to the measles epidemic, which has spread because many people have not gotten the appropriate vaccinations, Ross said.

The vaccination to be given Saturday, called an MMR shot, protects against rubella and mumps as well as measles.

Children needing other shots can also receive vaccinations for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and haemophilus influenza type B, a cause of bacterial meningitis in children under 5.

People who should receive the measles vaccine include:

* Any child 12 months or older who has never been immunized.

* Anyone who has never had the measles or been vaccinated.

Measles begins with cold-like symptoms and progresses to a high fever and severe rash. Complications can include dehydration, pneumonia, ear infection and encephalitis, which can result in permanent brain damage.

Health officials have recommended that people receive two doses of the measles vaccine as added insurance against the disease, but budgetary constraints have limited the Saturday clinics to giving only the first shot, Ross said.

A child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and a copy of the child’s immunization records should be taken to the clinic.

Clinic Sites

Immunization clinics will be held from 8 a.m. until noon Saturday at these locations:

* East San Diego Public Health Center, 5202 University Ave.

* El Cajon Public Health Center, 113 E. Douglas Ave.

* Escondido Public Health Center, 606 E. Valley Parkway.

* North San Diego Public Health Center, 2440 Grand Ave. * Oceanside Public Health Center, 104 S. Barnes St.

* Vista Public Health Center, 200 W. Broadway.

* South Bay Public Health Center, in the MAAC Community Center, 1671 Albany St., Chula Vista.