FEARS of a mumps epidemic among young people in south Warwickshire have prompted the local primary care trust to arrange a number of vaccination sessions across the county.

The move by South Warwickshire trust and Coventry and Warwickshire Health Protection Agency follows a sharp rise in the number of cases.

The Stratford drop-in session is taking place at the community health offices in Alcester Road on Saturday, March 5, from noon to 5pm.

Those considered particularly vulnerable to mumps, which can be more severe among adults, are those in the 15 to 25-year-old age group, who missed out on the MMR vaccine when it was introduced in 1988.

There have been 77 cases of mumps reported in south Warwickshire since the beginning of January compared with 89 in the whole of 2004.

Dr Huda Mohamed, director of Coventry and Warwickshire Health Protection Agency, said: "It's really alarming. It's vital for everyone to make sure their vaccination is up to date, especially for university students and schoolchildren who will soon be in the exam season."

Dr Mohamed said that there was a group of children between 1980 and 1990 who missed out on having a vaccine altogether, had only the measles and rubella vaccine, or had one dose of MMR rather than the two required to provide lifelong protection.

"It's not very serious but in very rare cases it can be a bit unpleasant," said Dr Mohamed, who added that the viral condition lasts about 10 days.

Among the rare complications are inflammation of the testes in men, which can lead to infertility.

"It can cause infertility but it's very rare and we don't want to alarm people," said Dr Mohamed.

She added that although 15 to 25-year-olds who missed out on MMR were being targeted by the latest vaccination programme, the drop-in session was open to all children over 12 months and adults who have not previously had the two doses of the vaccine.

Mumps is a notifiable disease, which is transmitted by direct contact with saliva or droplets from the saliva of an infected person.

Symptoms begin with a headache and fever for a day or two before the disease, which is characterised by swelling of the parotid glands, which may be on one side or both sides. At least 30 per cent of cases in children show no symptoms.