IT ONLY HURTS A LITTLE; IMMUNIZATION CLINIC PROVIDES FREE SHOTS TO MORE THAN 150 KIDS.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

More than 150 children were immunized Monday during a daylong clinic at the civic center, the eighth such effort in recent months to provide free shots for youngsters of all ages and income levels.

Operation Immunization was held at the Northeast Valley Health Corp. for seven hours, and one official said it appeared that 175 to 180 kids would be served by day's end.

Children must be inoculated against several diseases before they can be granted permission to enroll in school, but public health officials recommend that children get the required shots as they grow from infancy through their toddler years - rather than delaying this preventive measure until they are old enough to enter kindergarten.

In the seven previous immunization events, roughly 520 children received the shots, said Lupe Lopez, director of the Los Angeles County-Santa Clarita Valley Service Center, a co-sponsor of the campaign.

The clinics were held during May and June at the Acton Community Club, Stonegate Community Recreation Room in Castaic, at Newhall, Emblem and Cedarcreek elementary schools, and at the same Valencia health center as Monday's event.

All youngsters, ages 6 weeks and older, are eligible for the shots, available at no cost through mid-August. Youngsters are being immunized against polio, mumps, measles, rubella (German measles), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), meningitis and hepatitis B, along with a skin test for tuberculosis.

``We saw 131 children in one day last month. We were overwhelmed,'' said Debra Rosen, a director of public health programs for the Northeast Valley Health Corp.

The fact that the shots are dispensed at no cost to the families is regarded as a financial blessing by the recipients. The hepatitis B vaccine requires an initial dose and two follow-up doses, each of which would cost about $40, Rosen said. In fact, some insurance policies do not cover preventive measures such as immunizations.

``We send them a postcard reminding them of the next time they're supposed to come so we do follow-up and tracking,'' Rosen said. New state laws, she added, require that children have received all three hepatitis shots and their second round of measles shots before they may enter kindergarten.

``We're really trying to break down all possible barriers that cause people to not get their kids immunized,'' she added.

Upcoming immunization clinics in the Santa Clarita Valley are scheduled for:

Aug. 3, noon to 5 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 24317 Newhall Ave., Newhall.

Aug. 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, 30257 San Martinez Road, Val Verde.

Aug. 13, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Cedarcreek Elementary School, 27792 Camp Plenty Road, Canyon Country.

Aug. 18, noon to 7 p.m., Valencia Library, 23743 Valencia Blvd.

Aug. 19, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Acton Community Club, 3478 W. Nichols Ave.

CAPTION(S):

Photo: (1--color) Juana Ochoa, right, holds her 1-year-old daughter, Andrea, as nurse Miriam Dease gives her a shot during Operation Immunization.

(2-3--color) Children wait for their names to be called, left, after filling out paperwork to get their shots. Above, Davina Leary, left, wipes a tear from the face of her daughter, Heather, 5.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News