Some students claim they were misinformed by medical staff

A mass inoculation programme against mumps took place at the University of Kent at Canterbury earlier this month after six students caught the disease.

Now some students have told a national newspaper they were not told they were being given the MMR vaccine.

The Kent Health Protection Unit has told the BBC the claims are unfounded.

There is no doubt in my mind at all that anybody there could not have known they were receiving the MMR vaccine Dr Mathi Chandrakumar

The inoculation programme began earlier this month after health officials revealed there had been an outbreak of mumps at the university.

Immunisation sessions for about 10,000 students and 2,000 staff were held on campus in a make-shift clinic in a sports hall.

A helpline was also set up, manned by volunteers, to advise concerned students.

Now some students have told the Sunday Express they were duped into receiving the MMR vaccine by medics who did not explain what it was.

'Information leaflets and posters'

They have said they only found out it was the controversial MMR vaccine, which has been linked by some medical researchers to autism, after they had been injected.

But Dr Mathi Chandrakumar, director of the Kent Health Protection Unit, has told BBC News Online the claims are untrue.

Dr Chandrakumar: "When we were notified of the cases we got in touch with the university and I produced a letter and information leaflet about the inoculations and MMR.

"It explained to the students they would get the MMR jab.

"This was sent out to the students by the university and emailed to them and there were posters put up around the campus.

"On the day of the jabs every student had to sign a consent form and were told clearly what the vaccine was.

"There is no doubt in my mind at all that anybody there could not have known they were receiving the MMR vaccine."