Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international counterparts to help support improved access to the mAb114 and REGN-EB3 monoclonal antibody treatments for those infected with Ebola in Africa.

The FCDO works in partnership with other government departments and international partners to increase access to prevention, diagnostic and treatment tools for existing and novel infectious diseases in Africa. We were at the forefront of the international response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 and 2015. More recently, we have mobilised rapid support to respond to smaller outbreaks, including the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2020 through our Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa programme, and our partners on the ground are currently monitoring the Ebola outbreak in Uganda. We support African-led efforts in partnership with African institutions such as the Africa Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organization (WHO) AFRO.

The UK supported the development of the Ebola vaccine which has helped bring several outbreaks under control, including the outbreak in DRC in 2018. At present, the WHO and the US National Institute for Health lead on clinical trials for new Ebola treatments. Our focus is on ensuring equitable access to effective treatments, diagnostics and vaccines in African countries once approved by the WHO through our long-term commitment to health system strengthening and support to major global health initiatives.