A second child died of Strep A earlier this year, the HSE confirmed on Thursday.
Health chiefs did not give details on where or when the death occurred, but confirmed that it is not linked to the current outbreak. Earlier this month, a four year old child in the East of the country died from the disease.
Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, HSE director of national health protection Dr Eamonn O'Moore said: "There are two paediatric cases, one of which I think had a lot of media coverage in the past week or so.
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"The second case actually represents a historic case. It’s from an earlier period in the year.
"We, as a result of the work we do all the time, from the quality assurance of our surveillance systems, continuously check our data and information flows and so this second reported case represents a case from an earlier part of the year."
Dr O'Moore added that while there is a shortage of "liquid formulation of penicillin antibiotics" to treat Strep A, there are effective alternatives available. "There is no real concern about a lack of appropriate antibiotics to ensure children get the treatment they need," he said.
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