On Thursday, Aug. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Memorial Park, the Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department's immunization nurses will be giving vaccines to school-aged children.

Starting this fall, the state is requiring children entering kindergarten to have their second dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. In addition, children entering kindergarten will receive a polio booster, and a "Dtap" -- diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis -- shot.

The new law also requires adolescents entering seventh grade to get a tetanus-containing vaccine, the Dtap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis). This vaccine is only for older children, according to registered nurse Kay Robertson.

During the event, the Women, Infants, and Children program will be celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, complete with activities such as bubble blowing and face painting.

The vaccine, which helps reduce the number of cases of pertussis among adolescents, is important, Robertson said, because middle schoolers often come into contact with younger children by way of babysitting or having younger siblings at home.

Hepatitis A and B shots for seventh-graders also will be offered. Parents should bring an immunization record for each child.

The cost is $5 per child, and is partly being underwritten by the Helena Kiwanis Club, which has worked with the health department for many years to promote the importance of immunizations through the Kiwanis Club's national "Shots for Tots" initiative.

The picnic underscores the importance of breasteeding, said Maggie Petaja of WIC.

A decreased risk of SIDS, decreased risk of diarrhea, respiratory and ear infections, allergic skin disorders, and higher IQ shown in school-aged children who were breastfed as infants are among the many benefits of breastfeeding, Petaja said. For breastfeeding mothers, benefits include a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.