A young Co Louth boy has died from meningitis while holidaying abroad, just days after he was seen in the accident and emergency unit of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.
A review is under way at the hospital, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed.
The boy is understood to have died from meningitis caused by the bacterium haemophilus influenzae. It is believed he had already been vaccinated against the disease.
A recommendation from the National Immunisation Committee to the Department of Health last July that a booster vaccine against the infection be given to children - as some vaccinated children were developing the disease - has not yet been implemented.
Children are vaccinated against haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) at two, four and six months as part of the national childhood vaccination programme. However, immunity from these vaccinations does not continue for the main risk period of infection, which lasts until five years of age.
The age of the Drogheda boy who died could not be confirmed last night. He died in Spain while on a family holiday last Friday.
In a statement, the HSE North East Area confirmed "the child presented and was reviewed at the A&E department at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital a number of days prior to his death".
It added: "As his death occurred outside the country, complete information is not yet available. However, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital has conducted an initial review. With the participation of the family - and when full information is obtained - a final review will be completed."
Meanwhile, following a report in The Irish Times earlier this week which reflected doctors' concerns a booster vaccination programme has not started in advance of the winter period when infection is at its peak, the HSE said it had made the introduction of the booster campaign an urgent priority.
It said the campaign would begin as soon as possible.
"The target start date for the campaign is November, subject to logistical considerations, and it will be ongoing over the winter months," it added.
The HSE North East Area said public health doctors are taking routine follow-up measures in the Drogheda area. It advised parents to be alert to the signs and symptoms of meningitis.
Last night, Dr Kevin Connolly, a consultant paediatrician at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, and a member of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, said it was unfortunate there had been a delay in implementing the committee's recommendation.
The death of the Drogheda boy was "a huge tragedy" for his family, he told RTÉ.
"We don't know whether or not that death would have been avoidable if this child had had a booster because we don't know what the age of the child is . . . But even if the child had been fully vaccinated, there is a 5 per cent chance that he would not have protection."