August 9,2000
Pag« A3
^Portland (Ohsmier
^lordanti
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Health/Education
Seventh graders need shots to
stay in school
t y & T m P u r u , amu O bserver
As O regon seventh-graders get
ready to return to school, public health
officials at the Department ofHuman
Services are issuing an important
rem inder: Be sure to get your
im m unizations to avoid school
exclusion.
New Oregon requirements go into
effect this fall. Additional shots o f
hepatitis B vaccine and a second
dose o f measles-containing vaccine
will be required for all seventh-
graders, in addition to vaccinations
protecting against diphtheria, tetanus,
polio, mumps and rubella.
Students will also need to provide
documentation that they have either
been vaccinated against chickenpox
(varicella), or that they have had the
disease.
“ C h ild re n w ho do n o t h av e
documentation on file at their school
that they have had these vaccinations
risk being excluded this winter,” says
Amanda Timmons, public health
ed u cator at the O regon H ealth
Division. “Because it can take as long
as six months to receive all o f the
doses, it is critical that kids start
getting their shots now.”
It’s essential that all children receive
recom m ended im m unizations to
protect their health, both for today
and for the future, according to
Timmons.
“Vaccines prevent diseases that can
perm anently injure children and
adults. Immunization for school-age
kids is particularly important because
disease is easily spread in schools,”
she says.
Common perceptions that vaccine-
preventable diseases no longer occur
are wrong, Timmons days. “The threat
o f preventable disease outbreaks,
such as measles, is very real. In the
past ten years, 416 cases were
Mother to give
son gift of life
confirmed. The ages o f those patients
ranged from 6 months to 33 years.”
Since the state law requiring that
school-aged children be up-to-date
with their immunizations was enacted,
nearly 90 percent have become fully
immunized. In sharp contrast, only 75
p e rc e n t o f tw o -y e a r o ld s are
adequately protected.
“We strongly encourage parents to
make sure all their kids are current on
their im m unizations,” Tim m ons
states. Although these requirements
apply only to seventh-graders this
fall, she says, it isn’t too early to start
y o u r th ird o r fo u rth g r a d e r ’s
immunizations so they are complete
long before seventh grade.
Kinds who need shots should go to
their regular doctor, nurse or health
clinic. If they do not have a health
care provider, or parents need more
information, they should call Oregon
SafeN etat 1-800-723-3638 (1-800-
SAFENET).
Getting Started with Exercising
by
A vatar
eor T he P ortland O bserver
Many o f you have asked me how do
I get started with a fitness program.
My first response is to get started,
but get sta rte d slow ly and be
consistent.
Be careful to assess your fitness level,
and if you have any doubts, get a
physical before undertaking any new
fitness regimen. Working out 3 times
a week is very sufficient to begin
with. Determine what you want to
accomplish, i.e. weight management,
cardio-vascular training, toning or
just a general conditioning approach.
Depending on your choice, find the
best exercise regiment for you.
As an example, if you are interested in
getting in real good cardio-vascular
shape, then jogging or aerobics are
probably the best exercises to
implement. 1 can’t over-stress the
importance that you need to start
slow. For instance, ifyou are going to
eventually get in shape by jogging,
here is how I would set up a plan for
som eone in m o d e ra te ly good
condition. On the first day, try running
around a school track one time which
is e q u iv a le n t to 400 m eters.
Afterwards, walk at least three more
times around the track. Now you’ve
gone a mile. Do this 3 times a week or
every other day. Keep it simple. Do
this for 6 workouts. Be consistent.
After the 6th workout, double the
distance until you reach 2 miles, then
increase to 3 miles, and stay at that
distance and attempt to go faster
than a 12 minute/mile pace. Stay at 3
miles for 12 workouts. Now over the
remainder o f what started out as a 6
month period, you are on your own to
go farther and faster, but run at least
3 miles, 3 times a week.
Keep a record o f each workout by
noting the date, tune, distance and
general comment regarding how you
felt during the workout. A written
evaluation could read like this: (8/10/
00) Ran 3 miles in 30 minutes; felt
tired. Within 6 months time, you
should lose the weight you want to if
you eat correctly. It’s that simple.
Most often, people fumble the most
important ingredients o f a well
thought out plan by not being
consistent. Be determined to reach
your goal!
U of O A lumnus
The University of Oregon
Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs
Is Sponsoring
A Business after- Hours Party
T o Form a U o f O Alumnus o f Color Reunion Committee
The Party will be at
Billy Reeds Restaurant
2808 N. E.M LK Jr. Blvd.
August 24th 5:30 -7:00 p.m.
For questions or to RSVP
Please Danny at (503) 288-0033
Or Carla Gary at 1 -800-BE A DUCK
All Alumnus Welcomed
for second time
A ssociated P ress
Eleven years after Jennifer Staniak
gave birth to her son, she is preparing
to give him the gift o f life for a second
time.
Staniak will donate one ofher kidneys
to her child, Branden Shaw.
The operation at Oregon Health
Sciences University in Portland will
come after years ofinfections, hospital
stays and uncertainty. If successful,
the transplant will give Branden more
energy and, finally, some certainty
that his health will remain stable for
the foreseeable future.
“A lot o f people say how neat it is that
I’m doing this, but for me it is like ‘O f
course, ’ ” Staniak said. “I would give
my li fe for my child. ”
Branden was bom with polycystic
kidney disease, in which multiple
cysts cause enlarged kidneys and
interfere with their normal functions.
Soon after his birth, the family endured
unsuccessful attempts to insert a
catheter and begin dialysis, a process
in which the blood is cleaned outside
the body.
“It was quite a whirlwind,” she said.
“Dialysis was a word for me that I had
heard, but I didn ’ t real ly know what it
meant.”
Doctors at D oembecher Children’s
H ospital in Portland planned to
transplant a kidney into Branden a
week before his first birthday, but the
o p e ra tio n w as d e la y e d
by
complications with his blood work.
Doctors sent the family home, telling
the parents that for a child with his
condition, Branden was doing well,
Staniak said.
Doctors decided that an operation
could wait until Branden’s condition
worsened.
“We went home to wait and see what
happens, and w e’ve been waiting for
10 years,” she said.
Branden’s one partially functioning
kidney kept him alive, and only his
small size — he looks more like an 8
year old — gave evidence o f his
medical problems.
“H e ’s alw ays had ju s t enough
function to keep him going,” said
Tamara Pearson, Branden’s aunt.
“H e’s a tough little kid.”
But now his kidney can ’ t sufficiently
clean waste from his blood, causing
fatigue and difficulties concentrating
on reading. He’s finally scheduled to
receive the kidney transplant at OH SU
later this month.
It’s fairly rare for children to have
kidney transplants, with about 15 a
year done at OHSU, said Debbie
W hitehurst, a pediatric transplant
coordinator at the hospital. The
chance for success climbs to about
80 percent or higher when a donor
organ comes from a blood relative,
she said.
“It’s pretty common that the parents
do it if they can,” W hitehurst said.
DONATE $20 TO SPECIAL OLYMPICS AND RECEIVE A FREE NOKIA DIGITAL PHONE.
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Team USA athletes attending World Games in 2001 and 2003.
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