Cases in 2004 are three times higher than last year's

Dr Mathi Chandrakumar, director of the Kent Health Protection Unit, announced the programme after cases rose from 39 last year to 113 so far in 2004.

Dr Chandrakumar said the rise was not an epidemic, but protection was needed.

Health officials are targeting up to 30,000 at-risk teenagers at eight tertiary education sites.

'Perfectly safe'

Dr Chandrakumar told BBC South East Today: "We don't need to be worried as long as this campaign is successful, and we can prevent large numbers of cases.

"We know it works because when we had an outbreak in the university of Kent we did a campaign and we stopped it in its tracks, we did not have any further cases."

MUMPS IMMUNISATION SITES Canterbury College, Canterbury Christchurch University College (Canterbury and Thanet) South Kent College (Ashford) West Kent College (Tonbridge) Oakwood Park Centre (Maidstone) Mid Kent College (City Way site)

He said outbreaks were occurring in people too old to have been offered measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) jabs routinely as a child. The MMR programme only started in 1988.

Dr Chandrakumar said the vaccination was "perfectly safe" and did not have any serious side effects.

Doctors say the injection will not have any serious side effects

Kent University completed a round of immunisations for new students at the start of term in late October.

Other UK universities are also launching mass MMR vaccinations to stem the mumps threat.

He said outbreaks were occurring in people too old to have been offered MMR routinely as a child. The MMR programme only started in 1988.

Painful swelling

Mumps is a viral infection that is transmitted through airborne droplets from the coughs and sneezes of infected people.

It takes about 16-21 days between coming into contact with an infected person, and symptoms, such as painful swelling of saliva-making glands found on either side of the face, developing.

The vast majority of people make an easy recovery from mumps infection.

However, it can rarely cause unpleasant and painful complications and can be particularly dangerous in young men who may develop swelling of the testis that can cause infertility.