7TH-GRADERS NEED PROOF OF SHOTS; THOUSANDS MAY BE TURNED AWAY FROM SCHOOL IN FALL.

Byline: David R. Baker Staff Writer

As many as 5,000 students risk being turned away from Los Angeles schools next month - at least for a day or two - for failing to get vaccination shots against a dangerous disease.

Under a new state law, children entering seventh grade must show proof of vaccination against hepatitis B, a blood-borne virus that attacks the liver and leads to an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 deaths across the country each year.

Although Los Angeles school officials have been vaccinating kids for two years in anticipation of the new requirement, they fear many children still haven't started the regimen of shots, which takes four to six months to complete. And they warn parents not to underestimate the threat posed by hepatitis B.

``There is no cure for this disease,'' said Suzanne Rue, communicable disease resource nurse for the Los Angeles Unified School District. ``We need to get these kids protected.''

Kids who arrive for the first day of school without records showing they have at least started the series of three shots will not be allowed to start classes. Those who have fallen behind on the schedule of vaccinations also will be excluded. Kids must also show proof they have been immunized for measles, mumps and rubella.

Los Angeles isn't the only area where immunizations are lagging behind the law. The California of Health Services estimates 30 percent of the state's 482,763 seventh graders haven't been immunized.

``I'm going to guess that almost all of those are people who just haven't heard,'' said Loring Dales, a medical officer in the department's communicable disease section.

Those who arrive on campus without the shots, however, won't have to sit out the school year. If they go straight from the school to a clinic and get the first shot, Rue said, they can easily start class the next day.

``It's not hopeless,'' she said.

Hoping to prevent a last-minute logjam, school officials are staffing clinics throughout the city in the weeks leading up to opening day. Plummer Elementary School in North Hills will host a free vaccination clinic Tuesday, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. And Los Angeles County's health department has established a hotline listing locations where kids can get free shots.

The disease targeted by the new law strikes about 1 in 20 Americans sometime in their lives, Dales said. About a third of those infected with the virus fall seriously ill with jaundice, which provokes nausea and turns the skin yellow. Others suffer a milder, flulike illness or show no symptoms at all, at least not at first.

And therin lies hepatitis B's greatest danger: In some people, the virus lingers hidden for decades, slowly destroying the liver. Long-term cases can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Starting in 1997, California starting requiring immunization for all incoming kindergarten students. But since the disease is often contracted by sexual contact or by sharing syringes, state officials also wanted to immunize students before they entered their teens - the age when many experiment with sex and drugs.

Some parents, Rue said, mistakenly think they won't need to vaccinate their kids because they expect their children not to engage in those activities.

``But because it's blood-borne, there are many other ways to get it: tattooing, body piercing, or just giving first aid to a friend,'' she said. ``That's why they really need to be vaccinated.''

The vaccine has fallen under suspicion in recent years after anecdotal reports linked it to multiple sclerosis and problems with the body's immune system. But health officials say studies have so far uncovered no evidence the vaccine can cause such problems.

``This vaccine has been used for 20 years, with millions of doses used throughout the world, and most of the side effects have been minor, like pain or redness around the shot,'' said Cheri Todoroff, immunization program director for Los Angeles County's health department. ``There's a lot of rumors, but there's no scientific information to that effect.''

AT A GLANCE

Under a new state law, students entering seventh grade must show proof that they have started the three-part vaccination program for hepatitis B.

The Los Angeles Unified School District will hold a free vaccination clinic at Plummer Elementary School, 9340 Noble Ave. in North Hills, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

Los Angeles County also offers free shots through community health clinics throughout the San Fernando Valley. To find the clinic nearest you, call [phone].

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