PUPILS in schools and colleges across Warrington will be offered vaccinations to protect them against mumps following a rise in the illness among 16-25 year olds.

The open access sessions this month are for pupils in years 11, 12 and 13, as well as students at Priestley and Padgate Colleges.

The Primary Care Trust, PCT, has been advising people in this age group, who have not been vaccinated as children with the MMR vaccine, and who have not had mumps in the past, to visit their general practitioners for vaccination.

In the past three months, 320 young people in the town have contracted mumps, compared to 62 in the whole of 2004.

Mumps is associated with the swelling of the tissues around the lower jaw, due to the swelling of the salivary glands. In a few cases, it may also cause swelling of the ovaries or testicles, or of the linings around the brain and spinal cord.

Dr Hilary Thurston, consultant in communicable disease control for the Chester-based office of the Health protection Agency, said: "Mumps is spreading among teenagers because they have not been exposed to mumps as children, and have not been vaccinated.

"I would urge anyone in their teens or early twenties who has not previously had two doses of the MMR vaccine to ensure that they are protected. The MMR vaccine is safe and scientifically proven to be effective."

Warrington PCT will be notifying schools and colleges of the dates when staff will be visiting to carry out the vaccinations.

DR Marioth Manche, Warrington PCT's deputy director of public health, said: "Those in this age group who are no longer in education will need to visit their local surgery to be vaccinated."