UP TO 1,400 students have been offered the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine after a case of mumps was confirmed at a Darlington college.

Public health officials are now awaiting laboratory test results on 11 other possible cases among teenagers at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College.

Seven teams of school nurses and health officers will embark on a vaccination programme at the college on Monday and Tuesday to prevent the disease spreading among students who would not have been inoculated as children.

Until now, just one case of mumps had been confirmed in Darlington in the past five years. That was in 1999, when there were four notified cases, but only one actually turned out to be mumps.

Wholesale inoculations against mumps, measles and rubella were introduced by the Department of Health in 1988, but most of the college students were too old for them.

There are concerns that students may have to miss exams if they contract the virus in the coming weeks.

Because Darlington has one of the lowest MMR vaccination uptakes in the region, there are worries that infected teenagers could pass it on to younger brothers and sisters who might also not have been inoculated.

Yesterday, Darlington Primary Care Trust distributed information leaflets, letters and consent forms to students at the college.

Director of Public Health Nonnie Crawford said: "We have been investigating a number of possible cases of mumps in the town. We now know there is at least one laboratory-confirmed case in a student at the college, and we are expecting to get some more test results back in the near future."

Thirty per cent of people can contract mumps without developing symptoms. Others will have high temperatures, headaches, swelling in the saliva glands in front of the ears and flu-like symptoms.

Mumps can cause swelling of the testicles or ovaries, deafness, meningitis and inflammation of the brain and pancreas. Because it is a virus, there is no treatment and it takes about two weeks for the body's immune system to fight it off.

"In the meantime, if anyone suspects they may have mumps they should stay away from work, school or college, rest and drink plenty of fluids," Ms Crawford said.

Anyone needing further information can contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647.