News
November 22, 2008
Prizes offered to teens for immunizations
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Get a vaccination, win an iPod.

Teenagers don't always keep their shots up to date. So the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department is offering prizes - iPod Touches, Dell laptops and $50 Visa gift cards - for kids and young adults who enter a drawing after they've had a recommended round of immunizations.

"It's just to get them up to date," said Krista Farley, a Health Department spokeswoman. "As children get older, protection provided by some vaccines can begin to wear off, and they can develop risks for other diseases."

Last year, for instance, a chickenpox outbreak rocked Charleston Catholic High School. Health officials determined that most of the dozen students who contracted the disease hadn't received a booster vaccination.

"A second chickenpox shot is newly recommended, and many adolescents have only received one dose," Farley said. "Most teenagers don't go back in for their boosters."

Only children and young adults ages 11 to 21 qualify for the contest. Their doctor must confirm that they've had the following vaccinations:

  • Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap)
  • Hepatitis B
  • Chickenpox (varicella)
  • Influenza (flu)
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