S.I. No. 209/2026 - Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 19th May, 2026.

I, JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL, Minister for Health, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 29 and 31 of the Health Act 1947 (No. 28 of 1947), hereby make the following regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

2. In these Regulations-

“Principal Regulations” means Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981 ( S.I. No. 390 of 1981 );

“2024 Regulations” means Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2024 ( S.I. No. 119 of 2024 );

“2024 No. 2 Regulations” means Infectious Diseases (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2024 ( S.I. No. 528 of 2024 ).

3. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Article 8 (inserted by Regulation 3 of the 2024 Regulations) the following:

“8. All the infectious diseases listed in the Schedule, except acute anterior poliomyelitis, cholera, diphtheria, hantavirus disease, influenza where it is influenza of a new or re-emergent subtype, mpox, paratyphoid, plague, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), smallpox, tuberculosis, typhoid, typhus and viral haemorrhagic fevers (Lassa, Marburg, Ebola, Crimean-Congo) shall be excluded from the application of section 38 of the Health Act 1947 .”.

4. Article 14(1) (as amended by Regulation 3 of the 2024 No. 2 Regulations) of the Principal Regulations is amended by substituting for paragraph (b) the following:

“(b) further in the case of acute anterior poliomyelitis, anthrax, botulism, cholera, Covid-19 where it is Covid-19 of a new or re-emergent variant, diphtheria, haemophilus influenzae disease, hantavirus disease, influenza where it is influenza of a new or re-emergent subtype, legionellosis, measles, meningococcal disease, mpox, paratyphoid, plague, rabies, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), smallpox, tularemia, typhoid, typhus, verotoxigenic escherichia coli infection, viral haemorrhagic fevers (Lassa, Marburg, Ebola, Crimean-Congo), or yellow fever or where he or she is of the opinion that there is a serious outbreak of infectious disease in a locality, give immediate preliminary notification thereof to a medical officer of health.”.

5. Article 15(2) (as amended by Regulation 4 of the 2024 No. 2 Regulations) of the Principal Regulations is amended by substituting for paragraph (a) the following:

“(2) (a) Where a medical practitioner who is a medical officer of an infectious disease hospital or infectious disease unit is required under sub-article (1) to notify a case of acute anterior poliomyelitis, anthrax, botulism, cholera, Covid-19 where it is Covid-19 of a new or re-emergent variant, diphtheria, haemophilus influenzae disease, hantavirus disease, influenza where it is influenza of a new or re-emergent subtype, legionellosis, measles, meningococcal disease, mpox, paratyphoid, plague, rabies, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), smallpox, tularemia, typhoid, typhus, verotoxigenic escherichia coli infection, viral haemorrhagic fevers (Lassa, Marburg, Ebola, Crimean-Congo) or yellow fever, or where he or she is of the opinion that there is a serious outbreak of infectious disease in a locality he or she shall give immediate preliminary notification thereof to a medical officer of health.”.

6. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for the Schedule (inserted by Regulation 5 of the 2024 No. 2 Regulations) the following:

“Schedule

Diseases specified to be infectious diseases and their respective causative pathogens

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

14 May, 2026.

JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL,

Minister for Health.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulation and does not purport to be a legal interpretation)

These Regulations amend the Schedule to the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981 (S.I. No. 390 of 1981) to include hantavirus disease amongst the list of diseases designated as an “infectious disease” for the purposes of the Health Act 1947 . All diseases that are so designated are required to be notified by a medical practitioner who becomes aware or suspects an instance of such disease to a medical officer of health, and are subsequently relayed to the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre in accordance with those Regulations.

These Regulations also amend those Regulations to provide for the inclusion of Hantavirus disease amongst the list of infectious diseases that a person who is a probable source of infection with the disease may, as a necessary safeguard against the spread of the disease, be detained and isolated for, in accordance with the Health Act 1947 . In addition, they provide for the preliminary notification (i.e. immediate notification by telephone) of Hantavirus.