The Western Health Board is investigating a suspected case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Co Mayo.
A middle-aged man was taken into Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar with symptoms of the disease.
The man had recently returned from the Far East.
A Health Board spokeswoman said they were treating his illness as a ‘probable’ case of SARS due to his symptoms and his travel history in an area of China where there is a confirmed outbreak of the disease.
300 suspected cases globally
Since the virus was first detected there have been 300 suspected cases of SARS worldwide. Ten people are reported to have died from the disease.
The National Disease Surveillance Centre investigated two suspected cases in the Dublin area. The NDSC has since announced that they were not linked to the syndrome.
The expert group formed by the Minister for Health and Children is to continue to monitor the situation in Ireland.
The symptoms of SARS are a temperature of over 38 degrees Celsius, flu-like symptoms and a cough.
