The Southern Health Board is investigating claims that nine school children at St Fanahan's College in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, have contracted tuberculosis in the recent past.
The principal of the school, Mr Niall O Donnachadha, has said he was aware that only one teenager in the school was affected by the disease. However, because of concern among local parents an information meeting will be held at the school on Monday.
The school will reopen after the mid-term break next week.
The Southern Health Board has confirmed that nine cases of tuberculosis have been identified in a north Cork secondary school. The board statement did not name the school, but added: "The cases have been referred to hospital specialists who have commenced antibiotic treatment."
The health board's Dr Margaret O'Sullivan reported: "This number of cases is unusual, though we have had them in clusters before. We have carried out the screening in line with national guidelines and it has almost been completed."
Dr O'Sullivan added: "TB can be very effectively cured with modern treatment, but it is lengthy, generally up to six months."
As well as this, screening has been offered to the 200 students and staff at the college and a monitoring regime has been put in place.
The board said the situation was not out of control and that all necessary steps had been taken.
Despite this, a local politician, Councillor Joe Sherlock, said an explanation should be given as to why students from the three secondary schools in the area travelled each morning in the same fleet of buses to their schools.
He said the schools concerned and the health authority should have dealt with the issue more decisively.