A SENIOR doctor voiced fears yesterday that the region could be on the verge of a measles epidemic after a sharp fall in vaccination rates.

New statistics show that the proportion of young children having the controversial triple MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccine in the North-East has slumped dramatically.

In the first quarter of 2003, only 80.1 per cent of children due to have the three-in-one vaccine were actually immunised.

This compares with 93 per cent of children in the equivalent time period two years ago.

Dr John Woodhouse, deputy regional director for public health in the North-East, said the figures were "significant and worrying".

The MMR immunisation rate is falling because of alleged links between the triple vaccine and autism, and Dr Woodhouse is concerned that this will lead to a serious measles epidemic similar to an outbreak in Dublin three years ago.

"When immunisation rates dropped in Dublin they saw a measles outbreak which affected about 100 children and led to two deaths," said Dr Woodhouse.

"I sincerely hope we do not get anything like that in this region."

Dr Woodhouse said the great majority of scientific opinion believed that the triple vaccine was safe.

"I am afraid many parents are making poor decisions on the basis of unbalanced media coverage and they may be exposing their children to disease," he said.

Fears of a major outbreak were disputed by the two main private clinics offering separate measles, mumps and rubella injections. They reported that demand from North-East patients remained high.

Private clinics in Darlington and Newcastle have now immunised more than 5,000 North-East toddlers and hundreds more are due to have a course of three separate injections.

Kathryn Durnford, managing director of Healthchoice UK, which holds regular vaccination sessions at the Newcastle Clinic in Jesmond, said staff were expecting to immunise about 300 children this weekend.

"Newcastle is one of our busiest clinics," she added.

Ms Durnford said fears that immunisation rates were falling were not well-founded as official figures did not include the thousands of children vaccinated privately.

A spokesman for Direct Health 2000 said they had vaccinated about 3,000 children at the Woodlands Hospital in Darlington.

Direct Health 2000 pointed to a survey carried out earlier this year which showed that 39 per cent of parents using their clinics were health professionals.