Parents of school-age children, starting this week, can expect to see letters warning of exclusion from school if immunizations aren't up to date.

More than 34,500 Jackson County children attend public and private schools, day-care centers and Head Start programs, all of which require immunizations or a medical or religious exemption on file. Last year, 112 kids were asked to leave school on the third Wednesday in February, known as "exclusion day." This year's deadline falls on Feb. 21.

The number of children still needing immunizations by February has dropped over the past few years, said Carol Irwin, immunization coordinator for Jackson County Health and Human Services. She credited the statewide database, Oregon Immunization ALERT, as a factor in the decline.

Operated by the Oregon Department of Human Services, the system collects immunization data and links records from health care providers, creating a consolidated record for each child. Authorized users have access to the secure Web site.

"A large number of the public-school secretaries are using the Immunization ALERT," Irwin said. "If it's on ALERT, they don't have to bother the parents."

Advertisement

This month, ALERT nearly doubled its capacity, adding information for more than 1,170,000 children through age 14, according to a DHS news release. The system previously listed shots due or past due for about 700,000 children up to age 8.

The county last year sent out 887 letters informing parents that their children needed vaccinations or had no records on file, Irwin said. Nearly 1,180 notices went out in 2005, down from 1,605 in 2004.

Yet the county's 5.4-percent rate of immunization exemptions exceeds the state's average of 3.18 percent, said Martha Skiles, DHS spokeswoman. The trend historically stemmed from Ashland where, in 2001, children had one of the state's highest religious-exemption rates, at 11 percent, according to a study conducted by the county health department.

To encourage more childhood immunizations in Ashland, Community Health Center offers free shots from 1:30 to 5 p.m. every Thursday at their clinic, 99 Central Ave. Insured families are asked to submit insurance cards. For more information, call 482-9741.

The county health department also provides vaccinations. Shots are given from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. weekdays at the department's main office, 1005 E. Main St., Building A, Medford. Call 774-8209. (See correction below)

Shots are $15 each but free for those unable to pay. Insured children are asked to bring cards. No appointments are necessary.

The state requires vaccines protecting against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox) and a second dose of measles-containing vaccine. For children younger than 5, shots against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) also are required.

Correction: The original version of this story included an incorrect reference to immunizations available in White City. This version has been corrected. Return to sentence that contained error