
DATE: Thursday, April 24, 1997              TAG: 9704230148

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 15   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   83 lines

GIVE A CHILD A BREAK TODAY WITH RIGHT IMMUNIZATIONS

You deserve an immunization today - at McDonald's, on Main Street. That was true during hour on April 15.

Debra E. Loving, Immunization Outreach coordinator for the Western Tidewater Health District, collared parents and grandparents awaiting their Big Mac's and French fries.

``Do your children need to be immunized? How about you? Grown-ups need it, too,'' she told them.

The extra push for immunizations is related to recognition of National Infant Immunization Week which ends Friday.

Loving set up a table next to the serving line, hoping to talk to parents or grandparents visiting with their children.

She was there from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The closest she got to a child, for the first 90 minutes, was an expectant mother.

Just before she folded her card table, a woman did come in with two pre-schoolers.

The idea behind using McDonald's was picked up from other Hampton Roads areas which have been doing something similar.

``This is the first time for us,'' Loving said. ``We picked a fast food place because we're targeting the younger parents.''

Younger parental pickings were slim, so she targeted almost anyone that walked in for a quick meal.

``This isn't a promotion for the Health Department,'' Loving said. ``It's a promotion to remind people to get their shots. Of course, they are free at the Health Department.''

At McDonald's, coloring books and crayons, a hand mirror and immunization information were free.

The information is particularly important.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s the country experienced numerous outbreaks of measles, primarily affecting pre-school aged children and college students.

``From this outbreak we learned that our children, from birth to 24 months, were not receiving immunizations on a regular basis. Many parents thought it was no longer necessary to have children immunized,'' Loving said. ``They also thought it took one shot to provide immunity, but it takes a series of many shots during the first two years.''

Loving said shots are also needed against diphtheria, polio, the mumps, and chicken pox.

She imparted as much of that information as she could during her two hour stint at McDonald's.

``If anyone looks in my direction, I snag `em,'' she said, adding a fitting show business slogan: ``Sometimes, you gotta work the crowd.''

Loving talked to one woman who said that her granddaughter is 8-years-old.

``She probably has what she needs,'' Loving told her, ``otherwise, the school would have called you.''

A man who said he has five sons listened to some of the information, then packed his McDonald's bag with crayons and coloring books for each - plus the important information about immunization.

The childhood series of immunizations are:

Hepatitis B - given at birth, 1-2 months, and 6 months of age.

Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertusis - given at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months of age.

HIB vaccine against Haemophiluscq influenza type B - also given at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months of age. Most people carry these germs, but children who are not immunized can become seriously ill.

Polio - given at 2, 4 and 12-18 months of age.

Measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox - given at 12-18 months of age. MEMO: With the exception of chickenpox, all childhood immunizations are

given free at local health departments.

The Suffolk office will offer immunizations from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.

Regular immunization hours are 2 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday and Friday and 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday. For information call

686-4900.

For information on immunization hours in Southampton County call

653-3040, for Isle of Wight County call 357-4177, and for Franklin call

562-6109. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER

Debra E. Loving, Immunization Outreach coordinator for the Western