The Health Service Executive has issued an alert to GP's following the outbreak of an infection among newborn infants in Limerick.
Four confirmed and one suspected case of an infection known as Scalded Skin Syndrome were discovered among infants born at the Mid-Western Regional Maternity hospital in Limerick since February.
This is the first known recorded outbreak of the infection in Ireland.
The illness is characterised by red blistering skin that looks like a burn or a scald.
It occurs mostly in young children under five, particularly newborns, but can be quickly treated with antibiotics.
The source of the infection has not yet been discovered, and hospital staff are being screened as part of infection control measures that have been introduced.
Concerned parents are being asked to contact their GP's for an assessment.
The four babies who contracted the infection have made a full recovery after treatment, the HSE said.
