By Alicia Gooden
The Galveston Daily News
Published 08/07/03

La Marque – Five-year-old Cole Johnstone hid behind his grandmother and put his hands over his eyes while his cousin, Austin, got his two immunization shots. Cole knew he was next.

Maybe starting kindergarten wasn’t so hot, after all. Four shots just to start school didn’t seem like a fair deal to him.

He was brave for the first one. Only a wide-open mouth when the needle first pricked his skin.

But then there were three more and Cole had just about taken about all the punishment he could stand.

He let out a small cry as the nurse told him to count to 10.

Despite his little shrieks, Cole wasn’t nearly as needle-phobic as the other youngsters who came through the doors of the Galveston County Health District in La Marque Wednesday as part of the county’s push to increase immunizations among children.

There were other young ones who kicked, wiggled, screamed and yelled for Mommy as nurses worked to make sure that the county’s students started the school year healthy.

Only 56 percent of Galveston County’s children ages 2 and under were vaccinated.
In school-age children that number jumped to 81 percent.

While that is an increase, health district officials say that more must be done to increase immunizations for school-age children and those under the age of 2.

The goal is to have 90 percent of Galveston County children immunized with their required or recommended vaccinations.

This is the third year that the county’s health clinics have pooled their resources for a back-to-school immunization drive at the La Marque clinic, said Shirley Carr, head of community health nursing.

The added staff provides parents with easier access to the clinic during daytime hours it might otherwise be closed down.

Carr said it was important that parents had their children vaccinated properly to ward off potential diseases.

“Disease prevention is the key to public health,” she said. “Vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in this country.”

Even though maladies such as polio, diphtheria and measles are not seen in Galveston County, Carr said it was imperative that vaccinations be viewed as shields against diseases.

“Just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean that the bacteria is not still around,” she said. “You vaccine the children so they won’t be prone to these diseases.”

The back-to-school immunization drive started on Monday and will end Aug. 22.

After that, parents can go back to their respective clinics for immunizations. The clinic is asking for $5 for the vaccinations, but no one will be turned down if they don’t have the money, said Kurt Koopman, public information officer for the health district.

“This is a community effort,” he said. “It’s not just us. All of the community stakeholders are working together on this.”

It wasn’t just young children like Cole Johnstone and Alissa Talley, 2, who got immunizations on Wednesday.

Older kids such as La Marque fourth-grader Rebecca Vela, 9 and her brother Nick, 11, waited for their shots, too.

“It only hurt a little bit,” said Rebecca Vela, who got a hepatitis vaccination.

Carr said because the wait for immunizations varied, the health district added activities for the children this year.

The Tooth Fairy made an appearance and talked about the importance of good oral hygiene. She also passed out toothbrushes.

Ceidy Isamar, 5, got two toothbrushes. One was bear-shaped; the other topped with a baby.

There were also face painting projects and coloring contests happening while the lobby buzzed with children waiting for their number to be called.

For more information on immunizations, please call (409) 938-7221.

Read the press release

For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
(409) 938-2211
kkoopman@gchd.org