There has been a new appeal to parents to have children immunised against measles following an outbreak of the disease in the Netherlands which has already killed three children.
The Western Health Board's director of public health, Dr Mary Hynes, warned that one in four children in the west of Ireland was not vaccinated against measles.
Just 77 per cent of two-year-olds in Ireland were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella at the end of 1998. The Department of Health is aiming to increase this to 95 per cent.
The director of the National Disease Surveillance Centre, Dr Darina O'Flanagan, backed Dr Hynes's call last night, warning that it was only a matter of time before there was an epidemic here.
The Department of Health said it had written to all health boards urging them to take steps to increase their vaccination levels. The Department says it has reviewed all evidence and is satisfied that the vaccinations are safe and effective.
Despite the 95 per cent target, the highest uptake was in the South Eastern Health Board area (86 per cent). The lowest was in the Midland Health Board area, where just 68 per cent of children under two had received the vaccine up to the end of 1998.