RELIEVED York parents were today taking their children to the city's first single jab clinic to offer an alternative to the controversial MMR triple vaccine.

About 75 children, who have so far gone unprotected from measles, mumps and rubella because of their parents fears about suggested links between MMR and autism and bowel disease, were today receiving their jabs from London-based doctor Damitha Ratnasinghe.

The private mobile clinic opened on the same day that a specialist claimed that the MMR debate is hampering efforts to find alternative treatments for autism.

Speaking on the BBC's Today programme ahead of a major conference on autism in London, Professor Christopher Gillberg said: "Efforts to prove or disprove a link between MMR and autism have deflected efforts to find a cure for the condition."

Prof Gillberg will tell the conference that increases in the number of people diagnosed with autism are due to better understanding of the condition, and not to a major increase in cases.

London-based private clinic Direct Remedies, which was running today's single jab clinic at the Novotel in Fishergate, was overwhelmed by the response from York parents after the clinic was announced in the Evening Press last month.

Parent Geraldine Durkin, of Osbaldwick, whose 14-month-old daughter Emma was booked into the clinic, said: "I don't want Emma to have MMR because I know a personal story of autism after having the triple jab.

"I've been trying to get single jabs and if I hadn't seen the newspaper article Emma would have gone unvaccinated.

"I know this girl who was perfectly all right, she was 18 months old and walking and talking and then she had MMR. She was poorly for four weeks and now she can't walk any more.

"The Government wants to come out into the real world and see what it does."

Responding to Professor Gillberg's comments, Mrs Durkin said: "Why don't they just give parents the choice, then they wouldn't have to do all this research."

Eve Thomas, from St George's Place, York, said two of her children have been given MMR but her daughter, Caitlin, aged six, has not.

She said: "Just because it's OK for some doesn't mean it's OK for others and I didn't want to risk it with Caitlin because of all the research.

"I've been trying to get single jabs, but I couldn't find anywhere local until now.

"We've done a lot of research ourselves and our health visitor has been helpful. I just think if I had been offered the choice Caitlin would have been vaccinated years ago."

The Department of Health insists that MMR is the safest and most effective way to protect children and says there is no proven link with autism and bowel disease.

But Direct Remedies regional co-ordinator Leigh Scully said the clinic was fulfilling a need in the community and the debate would not go away until parents were given choice.

Parents have paid up to £255 for the course of three injections, which also includes the travel costs of the clinic team. The second follow-up clinic has been booked for October. Contact Leigh Scully on 0191 2895650.

Updated: 15:25 Friday, September 06, 2002