The Department of Justice has played down reports that a quarantine has been placed on the Mosney asylum centre in Co Meath because of an outbreak of chicken pox.
A Department spokesman said the centre was "open for business as usual" but certain precautions were being taken after some incidents of the disease were diagnosed.
He said asylum-seekers were being checked for the disease before leaving or entering Mosney and that extra care was being taken to ensure the safety of pregnant women. "The reports of a 'ring of steel' are exaggerated," he added.
A North Eastern Health Board spokeswoman said there had been sporadic cases of chicken pox detected a number of weeks ago.
"We need to have 28 days all clear and we are nearing that," she said.
She added that cases of chicken pox had been detected within the surrounding community near Mosney and in nearby Drogheda, Co Louth.
