Child immunizations Saturday at Free Clinic

The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington will hold its annual child immunization clinic on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon at 4100 Plomondon St.

Children who are uninsured, registered for school and have not yet reached their 19th birthday are eligible to receive immunizations at no cost.

According to health officials, nearly 30 percent of children in Washington are not adequately immunized by the time they reach 35 months of age.

The recent increase in cases of pertussis shows the importance of immunizing children to prevent this and other diseases from being spread.

The immunization clinic is on a first-come, first-served basis and is done by volunteers who are local health-care professionals. Parents should bring their child’s current immunization records if they have them.

The Free Clinic also offers free child immunizations on the first, second, and third Wednesday nights each month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Clinics are walk-in and patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis.