THERE are fears that unborn children could have been exposed to danger after a suspected rubella outbreak in the region.

Doctors on Teesside have confirmed that a group of nursery school children are being tested for rubella, or German measles.

The suspected outbreak - at Eaglescliffe, near Stockton - has sent alarm bells ringing in the region's public health service.

Dr Ian Holtby, a consultant in communicable disease control with County Durham and Tees Strategic Health Authority, said he could not remember the last time he had seen a confirmed rubella case.

While no positive cases have been confirmed so far, there are concerns that the recent drop in the number of children being given the triple MMR vaccine on Teesside could lead to tragedy.

Rubella is not serious for children or adults. But if pregnant women who have not been immunised come into contact with the disease, it can lead to deafness and blindness in the unborn baby and damage its heart, brain and nervous system.

"A number of children attending a nursery in Eaglescliffe have been diagnosed by their GP as having suspected German measles," said Dr Holtby. "We are asking GPs to inform us of suspected cases."

The consultant said the drop in immunisation rates due to scares over the safety of the MMR triple vaccine (which provides protection from mumps, measles and rubella in a single jab) made outbreaks more likely.

"We are down to 82 per cent of children who are immunised now compared to over 90 per cent in the late 1990s," he said.

For children or adults, German measles is a mild illness, producing cold-like symptoms, together with swollen glands and a pale pink rash.

Dr Holtby said it was frustrating that diseases such as rubella were making a comeback despite increasing evidence that there was no proven link between the MMR vaccine and autism.