I propose to take Questions Nos. 230, 232, 234 and 235 together.
On the 17 May, the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda was designated a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organisation.
As a member state of the World Health Organisation and a state party to the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR), Ireland participated actively in the process to negotiate a comprehensive package of amendments to the IHR, which was adopted by consensus during the World Health Assembly in 2024. In the event of public health threats, IHR processes support strong national, regional, and global collaboration on information sharing, notification, and contact tracing. The Regulations facilitate science- and evidence-based action to support containment, infection prevention and control, and treatment.
We commend the leadership demonstrated by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda in taking urgent steps to contain this Ebola outbreak, including their adherence to IHR principles. We take note of the IHR Emergency Committee recommendations for State Parties such as Ireland which are assessed as at low-risk, including that no country should close its borders or place any restrictions on travel and trade.
The current outbreak is the seventeenth confirmed occurrence of Ebola in DRC since 1976, and, the second PHEIC designation for an outbreak originating in the Ituri province of DRC. The presence of the rare Bundibugyo subtype is amongst the contributing factors in the designation of emergency status. Vaccines and treatment protocols exist for the Zaire subtype of the Ebola virus. However it is not yet known if these will be effective against the Bundibugyo variant. Africa CDC and WHO technical experts are working on a coordinated response. While the assessment of clinical options is on-going, the response is strongly oriented towards containment, infection prevention and control, and, the protection of essential health services.
We are continuing to monitor the outbreak through our Embassies in Africa and our participation in the World Health Assembly in Geneva. We are supporting the processes for information sharing, coordinated action, and timely response.
So far in 2026, we have approved €3,000,000 in un-earmarked funding for the WHO General Programme of Work. This supports the WHO’s health protection function, including the detection of and response to infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola. An additional contribution of €2,000,000 has been approved for the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies. This mechanism ensures WHO technical teams can respond rapidly to public health threats. Some €3,300,000 has already been released from the Contingency Fund to support the government-led operational response in DRC and Uganda. Through our bilateral aid programme, Ireland provided €1,000,000 in funding in 2025 to support the WHO and the Ugandan Ministry of Health to strengthen surveillance, laboratory, and infection prevention and control capacities, as part of a response to Uganda's seventh confirmed outbreak of Ebola last year, and in preparation for future outbreaks.
The Government is a strong supporter of Gavi, the international vaccine alliance. We have provided €4,400,000 in un-earmarked funding to Gavi this year. Gavi is responsible for financing the global stockpile of Ebola vaccines. The stockpile ensures vaccines arrive within days of a confirmed outbreak and was instrumental in the rapid containment of the 16th outbreak of Ebola in DRC in 2025. Gavi is standing by to release pre-positioned stocks in DRC.
