MORE than 1,000 students have been offered the MMR vaccine after a case of mumps was confirmed at a Darlington college.

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

Seven teams of school nurses and health officers started a mass vaccination programme at the college this week to stop the disease spreading among students who had 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 proved to be mumps.

Joint inoculations against mumps, measles and rubella were introduced by the Department of Health in 1988 but most of the students at college now were too old.

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

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

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 ever developing any symptoms. Others will develop high temperatures, headaches, swelling in the saliva glands in front of the ears and flu-like symptoms.

In the worst cases mumps can cause swelling of the testicles or ovaries, deafness, meningitis and inflammation of the brain and pancreas.

Because mumps is a virus there is no treatment and it takes at least two weeks for the body's immune system to fight it off.

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

"Like many viruses the chances of passing them on can be minimised using simple good hygiene practices."

If anyone is concerned they should call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.