Cases of mumps in children across Bradford are soaring because of health scares over the MMR vaccine.

Since April 1 there have been 107 notified cases across the district which is a massive rise on previous years and has sparked fears of an outbreak of measles - a disease which can kill.

Between April 2000 and March 2001 there were 326 cases of mumps in comparison with just 15 in the previous year.

Now parents are being urged to take up the combined MMR vaccine, which protects against mumps, measles and rubella.

It is feared parents may have been put off the jab because of a national health scare which linked the vaccination to autism in children.

But Government health officials have consistently denied a link and is currently conducting a high profile advertising campaign to persuade parents to take up the jab.

Bradford Health Authority has also set aside cash to tackle the issue and is working with health visitors, school nurses and family doctors to warn parents of the dangers of not vaccinating children.

Dr Ruth Gelletlie, consultant in communicable disease control at Bradford Health Authority, said the most important message was that anyone who has had only one mumps containing vaccine (MMR) should contact their GP to have the vital secondary jab.

Two doses of the vaccine are needed to protect children. Usually they have one as a baby and parents are sent reminders to get a second injection when children are aged four to five. Figures for the year ending March 31 show there is an 88 per cent take up rate for the first MMR jab but this falls off dramatically to just 61 per cent for the second vital vaccination.

"The current outbreak of mumps shows the importance of having a high proportion of the population protected by two jabs," said Dr Gelletlie.

"Mumps is an unpleasant illness but an outbreak of measles would be far more serious."

A spokesman for Bradford Health Authority said many parents failed to take up the second jab because it was a busy time, when the child was starting school and also because they were unaware of the importance of the vaccination.

"Once is not enough," she said. "We are looking at ways of targeting this particular group who fail to take up the second vaccination."

Dr Gelletlie said: "Although very effective, around 15 per cent of children who have had only one MMR immunisation will still be susceptible to mumps.

"This is why a second dose of MMR is recommended for children at four to five-years-old. Before 1996 children were offered only one dose of the vaccine."

The MMR jab was introduced in 1988 as a routine immunisation. Children are invited to receive the MMR jab at 15 months and again at four years as part of the childhood immunisation programme.

In 1994 a major campaign was launched to immunise children against measles and rubella because of an anticipated national epidemic of measles, but this immunisation did not protect against mumps.

Dr Gelletlie said: "In 1994, 94 per cent of children in Bradford, around 77,000, aged between five and 16-years-old received the measles and rubella vaccination.

"For many of these children this would be their second dose following an earlier MMR immunisation as a baby. Others would have received this as their first immunisation and were not, therefore protected against mumps."

Mumps is characterised by swollen glands in the face and neck. Other symptoms may include fever, headache, and feeling generally unwell. Serious complications are less common but include meningitis and deafness.

Measles is a highly contagious disease, caused by a virus, which leads to a red rash, fever and cough. It can cause bronchitis, pneumonia and encephalitis. It can kill or cause brain damage.