Gardaí were tonight searching for a man who carried out a botched circumcisionon a four-week old baby boy who later died.
The child died in the early hours of Monday morning after being brought to Waterford Regional Hospital the previous night.
It is understood the boy, who was born in Ireland of Nigerian parents, was bleeding profusely following an attempted circumcision at a house in the city.
Gardaí were called in by hospital staff who were concerned at the circumstances of the death. A post-mortem had been carried out by Dr Margaret Bolster from the State Pathologist's Office, but an analysis of the results has so far been inconclusive in determining the cause of the child's death.
A number of people - including the child's parents - have been interviewed about the death. The baby's parents are married have been living in the Waterford area for the past year and have two daughters.
However, gardai are seeking to interview the man they believe carried out the crude operation.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio this afternoon, family doctor and medical journalist Dr Brendan O'Shea said that such procedures are less prevalent among immigrants to European countries, but are a still cause for concern.
"The key thing this case throws up is that we are not a homogenised, Caucasian society any more. We need to respond to the changes so that people are safe," he said.
The Irish College of General Practitioners has undertaken a training initiative to familiarise GPs with cultural issues such as ritual circumcision.