Measles cases have tripled in Brighton and Hove sparking fears of a potentially deadly epidemic.

Seventeen people in the city have been diagnosed with the disease since January compared to six for the whole of 2008.

The worrying rise has been blamed on the city's low take up rate for MMR jabs.

The figures emerged after the Sussex and Surrey Health Protection Agency confirmed it was investigating a potential outbreak of measles among pupils at Stanford Infants School in Brighton.

Four children are believed to have caught the infection but all are recovering well.

The school was last night sending letters home to parents warning them to make sure their child's jabs were up to date.

According to Brighton and Hove City PCT the MMR takeup stands at just 79%, well short of the 95% recommended by the World Health Organisation as needed to protect a community.

Brighton and Hove director of public health Tom Scanlon said: “We really would urge parents to make sure their children are protected by going to their GP surgery and asking for the MMR vaccine, if they haven't already done so.

“It could make the difference between staying healthy and contracting what can be a very serious illness.

“The more children who have the jabs - you need two to be fully immunised - the better the protection not just for them but for the whole community."

Dr Scanlon warned The Argus last October there would be a mini-epidemic if the figure did not improve.

He was speaking after it emerged the city had recorded its first outbreak of cases in a decade.

Almost 6,000 under-19s in the city are not protected from measles.

A further 7,000 are only partially protected - they have not had the vital second dose of the MMR jab they need.

Many parents decided not to vaccinate their children because of research linking MMR with autism but the vast majority of scientific opinion statest the jab is safe.

Measles is is highly infectious and children who catch it will be in bed for five days.

They may also have to stay off school for ten days.

Complications can include ear, chest and neurological problems and, in extreme cases, death.

The first MMR injection is given at 13 months and the second when the child is three years and four months old Symptoms of measles include a runny nose together with conjunctivitis, hacking cough, fever, and a rash.

The rise in Brighton and Hove is in line with national figures with the HPA recording 1,348 cases in England and Wales in 2008 compared to 990 the year before.

The Department of Health has recently advised all GPs across the country to make sure children up to the age of 18 years have received two doses of MMR.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said there were no plans to Stanford Infants School.

He said: “The school is continuing to operate as normal but is in close contact with health professionals about the outbreak.”

Joanne Mallon, whose five-year-old son Isaac is a pupil at the school and is fully innoculated, said: “I was really surprised when I heard.

“I have never come across a child who has had measles before so to have four at the same school is startling.”

Further information on measles and the MMR jab is available from NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or at www.immunisation.nhs.uk.