AN eight-year-old boy has died after contracting a rare form of meningitis.

Nathan Macari, a pupil at Crompton Fold Primary School, Breightmet, was diagnosed with a bacterial strain of the deadly disease and died at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital at Pendlebury.

The school's headteacher Diane O'Brien was told of Nathan's death on Friday and a letter was sent home with pupils to inform parents of the situation.

She said his family were "deeply upset and very distressed." Nathan celebrated his eighth birthday last week.

And as his friends were being comforted at the school, Mrs O'Brien paid tribute to Nathan describing him as "very caring, very hard working and very popular."

She said: "We will all miss his beautiful sunny smile. His death has certainly been very tragic and it has come as a great shock to us all. His little friends are very upset and we are doing our very best to comfort them.

"Nathan's grandad broke the news to us yesterday, and he was deeply upset and distressed."

The meningococcal or bacterial strain of the infection, attacks the brain and spinal cord. It proves to be deadly in 20 per cent of all cases diagnosed. Heath chiefs say parents have "no cause for alarm" and described the case as "isolated."

In a letter to parents, Mrs O'Brien said: "We are sorry to inform you that a child has tragically died, almost certainly of meningococcal disease.

"This is an isolated case and there is no cause for alarm. Other members of the school community are at no increased risk because of this single case of disease. Our message is that the risk of developing the illness is very low."

Parents have also been sent letters detailing symptoms of various strains of the disease.

Nathan, who lived in Breightmet with his mother, is the second pupil of the school to be diagnosed with meningitis in eight months. In June, a girl in Year Six was diagnosed with streptococcal septicaemia -- a blood poisoning version of the disease.

She returned fit and well later the same month after urgent hospital treatment.

Parents have expressed concerned about their children's safety following Nathan's death.

One said: "One of the things that annoyed me was that the letter only gave us vague details and no one knows any more than that. Apparently he had been off school all week -- it seems a long time before we knew anything."

"Also, other children from the family are still in school. I just wish we had known about it sooner. We could have been looking closer for any symptoms. It's a fact that when a child has meningitis the time-scale is extremely important."

Nathan was taken ill last Friday and died earlier this week.

A spokesman for Bolton Primary Care Trust urged parents to remain vigilant but reinforced Mrs O'Brien's comments.

The spokesman said: "There has been a case of probable meningococcal infection in a child who attended Crompton Fold Primary School and very sadly the child died.

"There have been no other cases and all close contacts have been traced. Advice has been given to all staff and parents of children who attend the school. The results of tests to confirm the diagnosis are awaited.

"The risk of contracting meningitis or meningococcal septicaemia is very small, even if you have been in contact with someone who has developed the infection."