Kingston University last month suffered its third suspected outbreak of mumps in five years, with six students struck down with the virus.

The university is urging all students and staff to ensure that their immunisation is up to date.

Dr Yvonne Young, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at the South West London Health Protection Unit said: “We strongly recommend that students at the University who have not been immunised against mumps contact their GP and arrange to have two doses of the MMR vaccine to ensure they are adequately protected from the virus.

"They also need to be aware that one dose of the MMR vaccine is not enough to protect against the illness.” 

The symptoms of the mumps virus include headache, earache and slight fever, sufferers can experience swelling of the face and jaw and in some cases testicular swelling.

Although rare, complications can include severe abdominal pain, meningitis and a small risk of sterility in adult males. The university is no stranger to the mumps virus.

Last year 21 suspected cases were reported by Kingston students, with over 140 students and staff receiving an emergency vaccine once the outbreak was reported. 

The 2008 episode mirrored the outbreak in 2005 when 548 staff and students received the vaccine after 22 suspected and six confirmed cases were reported at the university.

At the time, many students in the 18-25 year-old age bracket had not received the two doses of the triple MMR vaccination and many universities across Britain reported a mumps outbreak. 

The South West London Health Protection Unit and Kingston Primary Care Trust have advised that students born before 1987 are unlikely to have been offered immunisation against mumps; and anyone born between 1988 and 1992 will probably only have been offered one dose of MMR.

The MMR vaccine has received much press in the past decade, with fears that the triple vaccine could be linked to the development of autism.

Research in 1998 carried out by Dr.Wakefield, , a researcher at the Royal Free hospital, of 12 autistic children linked gastro-intestinal problems and autism  to the triple vaccine.

The research has since been much discredited, with a plethora of research proving unequivocally that there is no link between GI symptoms, autism and the triple vaccine.

The debate has however, spread seeds of doubt in the minds of concerned parents and the uptake of the vaccine has fluctuated.

The current rate of immunisation rate is dangerously low according to the Health Protection Agency.

About 3 million children - one in four - have not had both MMR doses, which are necessary to ensure they are fully protected.

All students and staff with concerns that they are displaying symptoms or are not adequately covered against the mumps should contact their GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 467 47.