CONCERNS have been raised after a sharp drop in the number of children in the region having the controversial MMR vaccine.

The release of new take-up figures coincides with an outbreak of mumps in Darlington, which has seen up to 30 suspected cases.

Last week, more than 150 students and staff at Carmel Technology College, in Darlington, were immunised with the triple vaccine in a bid to prevent it spreading.

Public health officials fear that a potentially devastating epidemic could occur unless immunisation figures are increased.

The figures show that the proportion of two-year-olds having the measle, mumps and rubella vaccine in County Durham and Darlington between October and December last year fell from 89.6 per cent to 86.3 per cent.

Health bosses blame the 3.3 per cent drop in vaccinations on controversy over the safety of the triple vaccine, which shows no signs of going away despite a report released yesterday from the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.

The report looked at the scientific evidence surrounding the vaccine, and concluded there was no convincing evidence that the triple vaccine caused autism or bowel inflammation.

The report also criticised separate jabs, saying it left children exposed to infection between sessions.

As recently as March 2001, the proportion of two-year-olds immunised in County Durham and Darlington was 92.7 per cent.

Dr Bill Kirkup, regional director of public health said: "If the MMR immunisation uptake continues to fall, an epidemic is more likely. We have to listen to the experts, and keep repeating the message that the triple vaccine is safe in the hope that it gets through."

Dr Kirkup said the chances of damaging a child by not having the vaccine "far, far outweighed" the chance of a mishap.

He said: "Measles can cause serious brain infection, leaving children paralysed. Mumps can cause infections which can cause sterility, and if rubella gets to pregnant women, it can cause birth defects."

Nonnie Crawford, public health director with Darlington Primary Care Trust, said: "We are going to work with health visitors and GPs and try to ensure the right messages about MMR get across."

Jackie Fletcher, national co-ordinator of Jabs, which supports the families of vaccine-damaged children, said more research needed to be done to convince parents that the MMR vaccine was safe.

* For more information about MMR, visit www.immunisation.org.u