ONE in eight East Lancashire parents is refusing to allow their children to have the controversial MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) jab.

The vaccination has been linked to autism and bowel disorders.

But public health officials have warned that an epidemic of the forgotten measles and other diseases could hit primary school children next year as parents continue to snub the triple MMR jab.

Figures show that uptake of the vaccine has fallen to 88 per cent -- leaving about one in eight families snubbing the jab.

Some parents claim their toddlers have developed deafness, arthritis, diabetes, epilepsy and paralysing conditions after receiving the triple vaccine, which was introduced in 1988.

Ann Coote, of pressure group JABS (Justice, Awareness and Basic Support) said her daughter Rachel stopped breathing after being given the MMR vaccine, suffered brain damage and developed epilepsy.

Mrs Coote, of Farnworth, Bolton, said: "Not all children who have MMR are affected, but about 2,000 families believe their children have been.

"There has not been any research into why it affects some children and not others. MMR should be suspended and parents should be offered the jabs as single vaccines if they want them."

But Dr Roberta Marshall, East Lancashire Health Authority's consultant in communicable diseases, said the only possible side effects were meningitis or encephalitis, a brain damaging condition, which occur in less than one in a million cases. She said: "There's not much measles virus around at the moment, but when it gets into the community it will spread like wildfire. It's like a heat seeking missile -- it will find the child that has no immunity to it."

Dr Marshall believes parents have forgotten the devastating effects of the diseases. Common complications of measles include ear infections, pneumonia and even brain damage, while mumps can lead to meningitis and brain damage. Rubella can severely handicap an unborn child.

Dr Marshall said: "Despite good control recently, large outbreaks of the diseases can occur when vaccine coverage is low. Measles outbreaks have recently been reported in Greater Manchester. As measles is so infectious at least 95 per cent of children need to be immune to prevent an outbreak.

"The average figure for East Lancashire is 87.9 per cent and there may well be areas where MMR vaccine uptake is lower than this."

Dr Roberta Marshall said national experts were warning there could be general outbreaks in children beginning primary school in 2001 unless immunisation levels can be improved.

She said children were more likely to miss one or more vaccines if they were offered as single jabs.