HEALTH officials today said a mini-outbreak of measles was under control - but parents still needed to get their children immunised with the MMR jab.

Three cases of young children catching the disease were reported last week in an area of Oswaldtwistle.

Last month, there was an outbreak in Accrington where nine cases were reported, leaving four children under the age of five needing hospital treatment. In May there were eight cases in Burnley. A programme of vaccination has stopped the spread of measles but Dr John Astbury, East Lancashire lead for the Health Protection Agency, said the number of children who have had the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is too low.

He said: "We offered vaccinations to the community in Oswaldtwistle and there have been no more cases reported. The overall take-up of the MMR vaccine in East Lancashire is around 80 per cent. It needs to be nearer to 90 or even 95 per cent to guarantee protection.

"Anyone who thinks measles is not a serious illness should see some of the recent cases. Even a normal case can leave your child very, very ill for five to six days.

"Complications such as ear or eye infections can develop which may need hospital treatment and in worse cases it can lead to deafness or brain damage."

The controversy over the MMR jab dates from 1998 when research suggested it may be linked to the childhood development of autism.

Most health professionals deny the link, but it has led to a fall in the rate of parents getting their children vaccinated.

Measles results in one in 100 sufferers being admitted to hospital and can cause death in children. Mumps can cause a form of viral meningitis which may result in deafness and rubella can cause severe disability and handicap in babies if mothers catch it during pregnancy.