Health Care

Clinic Contemplates Shooting Neighborhood Kids

By Christine Smith

November 1975

Historical medical reporting from November 1975, including the vaccine schedule printed then; not current medical guidance.

As many of our neighbors have found to their dismay, the two nearest City Health Clinics offering immunizations for children are two bus-rides away. If Papa has the car at work, imagine the hassle of getting a babe-in-arms and a toddler-at-the-knee on and off of two buses, just to get a shot for a perfectly (judging from the way they bounce on the bus seats, too perfectly) healthy child! That pictured hassle is why the immunization level of the children in our neighborhood is too low — like many another a neighborhood, sad to say.

But, if the level of immunization drops below a certain point, then there is the possibility of an epidemic of the disease, whatever it may be. If there are enough non-immunized people to catch a disease, Murphy’s law says they will catch the disease. A few years back, there was a lot of newspaper publicity about a measles epidemic pending in the City; the Clinic had a specialoccasion measles immunization clinic, and the Public Health people even went door-to-door. That near-epidemic is precisely the effect of a low immunization level in a community, and is what we all want to avoid.

For these reasons, then, the Clinic is making plans to start an immunization clinic, aimed primarily at pre-school children. We hope to hold the sessions during the day when the older children are away in school. The program will probably be aimed at pre-schoolers because most school-age children are followed by the school nurses in a program which also provides immunizations.

So, Mama, the headline was right— the Clinic does contemplate shooting kids, but only with the best intentions!

NEIGHBORHOOD INPUT

The Clinic tries to act on the basis of what its neighbors tell us they need or want in the way of health care services. The PECOS blood pressure monitoring program which was begun in August is the result of one such “need” that we discovered as a result of a community survey done last winter; so is the plan for an immunization clinic. Another need we know about is for a dental service—but we don’t quite have the resources yet for that one! We are thinking about a “Neighborhood Health Fair” for this coming Spring— a suggestion of the Des Peres Branch Library folks.

So, we would really appreciate your suggestions—and your help. Suggestions, comments, criticisms, or just plain bright ideas are welcome— just call the Clinic office, 721-5577, and tell all!

IMMUNIZATIONS RECOMMENDED

The guidelines that the Clinic will follow in its proposed immunization clinic are those set up by the City Health Division, as revised in January, 1975. These ideally call for each infant to have three doses of DPT [Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough) and Tetanus (lockjaw)] and three doses of oral polio vaccine during the first year of life. At one year, but not before, a dose of combined measles-rubella vaccine is given. (Measles is plain old “measles” measles; rubella is the mild three-day “German” measles whose biggest danger is to unborn children whose mothers get the disease.)

Then, the child gets a booster DPT a year later; if this comes before the child is three, he then gets a booster when he enters school. If the first booster is after age three, then no booster is given when he enters school. The same schedule is used for oral polio boosters.

DT (no pertussis element) is given to children over six years of age, and the DT boosters should be given every ten years for life. In adults, oral polio boosters are given only to high risk individuals—nurses, lab technicians, travelers.

Smallpox vaccination is NO LONGER RECOMMENDED ROUTINELY. It is recommended for adult high risk individuals every three years, but is not required for school entry.

As plans for the immunization clinic are finalized, announcements will be made via the Clinic’s usual routes: neighborhood bulletin boards and The Paper.