DOZENS of teenagers in the borough have been struck down by mumps, causing fears the epidemic could spread even further.

Twenty-six cases have been reported in the past three weeks, and doctors are now urging teenagers to be vaccinated against the illness.

Cases in the borough shot up from an average of one per week for the first nine weeks of the year, to 15 in the following three week period.

A total of 50 youngsters have now been reported to have contracted the illness, making Bury a hotspot nationwide.

Infact, the mumps outbreak in the borough accounts for nearly half of all cases in Greater Manchester where a total of 114 have been reported.

Health bosses say teenagers are suffering the brunt of the countrywide epidemic. Most are too old to have been offered the MMR vaccine routinely when they were toddlers, as the vaccination was not introduced until 1988.

Family doctors in the borough say they are keen to immunise teenagers who have been in contact, or think they have been in contact, with others who have had mumps.

Bury GP and Chairman of the Professional Executive Committee, Dr Derek Fletcher said: "Mumps can be a very unpleasant disease for teenagers causing swelling of glands and in boys, can lead to inflamed swelling of the testes. Fortunately it is rarely dangerous. I would urge any teenager who has not had MMR or has only had MMR before the age of three, to go to their GP to get another dose."

Dr Marko Petrovic, of the Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit, said: "Hardly any youngsters before 1990 will have had two doses of MMR vaccine, which is important in achieving good levels of protection. This increase in mumps underlies the importance of children having both doses of MMR.

"It also shows why it is so important that younger children should get both doses of MMR vaccine at the scheduled time."

Dr Peter Elton, Director of Public Health for Bury Primary Care Trust, concluded: "The only way to stop the spread of mumps in Bury is for more teenagers to be immunised with MMR and to ensure that all toddlers receive the MMR. If any teenager is in doubt about whether they should have the vaccine, they should go to see their doctor."