Mass temperature checks of passengers at airports is unlikely to be effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19, HIQA has warned.
The health watchdog says there is not enough evidence to suggest the measure works.
Recent months have seen a number of calls for temperature checks to be introduced at Irish airports.
A report from the Oireachtas COVID committee yesterday recommended that "all entrants should be temperature screened on arrival".
However, in a new report - which looks at international research on screening - HIQA says the measure is only effective when it comes to detecting fevers.
The watchdog says: "Not all cases of COVID-19 present with fever and a substantial proportion are asymptomatic (never symptomatic); approximately 25% of symptomatic cases never develop a fever.
"Moreover, some cases may evade detection due to mild clinical symptoms or other confounders, such as the use of antipyretic medicines.
"Therefore, fever screening may not identify a large proportion of potentially infectious cases.
"Current evidence is insufficient to support the use of mass thermal screening at airports to effectively identify cases and limit the spread of COVID-19."
It also warns that temperature checks may create a "false sense of safety" for people, while also pulling trained healthcare staff away from other areas.
The report does note a number of potential benefits to the checks, including "discouraging travel of ill people, education and awareness raising, improvements in public confidence and reductions in the negative economic consequences associated with travel or trade restrictions".
However, they add that it's hard to examine the full effectiveness of screening - saying it was typically implemented alongside a range of other measures, including looking at passenger's contact and travel history.
