Parents have been urged again to watch out for signs and symptoms of meningitis in children following the death of a six-week- old baby from the disease in the north-east.
As details of the boy's death emerged, the Health Service Executive (HSE) North East Region (formerly the North Eastern Health Board) confirmed that four children under two years of age were admitted to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in the past week with meningococcal infection.
"Tragically, one of these patients has died. The others are all responding to treatment," it said in a statement.
"All of the patients are under two years of age and are from counties Meath and Louth.
"Hospital and public health doctors have been following up contacts of these cases and ensuring that all necessary measures are taken to minimise the risk of further cases occurring," it added.
All of the infections were due to type B meningitis, for which there is no vaccine at present.This form of meningitis is responsible for 75-80 per cent of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia cases in the Republic each year.
The latest annual report from the National Disease Surveillance Centre indicates there were 311 cases of bacterial meningitis in the State in 2003 and 18 of those infected died.
The HSE North East Region urged parents, especially those with small children, to be aware of the symptoms and signs of meningococcal infection. These include fever, stomach muscle or joint pain, drowsiness, headache, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, vomiting, rapid breathing, cold hands and feet and a rash which characteristically does not fade when a glass is pressed against the skin. In addition to these symptoms, small babies may have a tense or bulging fontanelle (soft spot on top of head), blotching or pale skin, refusal to feed, fretfulness or shrill cry and body stiffness or floppiness.