diff --git a/hw/virtio/virtio-bus.c b/hw/virtio/virtio-bus.c
index b0e45442d92953fc3ba4106c406f659cd61d9f18..fd105b80a7146136b49e9b9a55dd21c257f751e8 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/virtio-bus.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/virtio-bus.c
@@ -147,8 +147,8 @@ void virtio_bus_set_vdev_config(VirtioBusState *bus, uint8_t *config)
     }
 }
 
-int set_host_notifier_internal(DeviceState *proxy, VirtioBusState *bus,
-                               int n, bool assign)
+static int set_host_notifier_internal(DeviceState *proxy, VirtioBusState *bus,
+                                      int n, bool assign)
 {
     VirtIODevice *vdev = virtio_bus_get_device(bus);
     VirtioBusClass *k = VIRTIO_BUS_GET_CLASS(bus);
diff --git a/hw/virtio/virtio.c b/hw/virtio/virtio.c
index 2ece690c5630d4714bffd6cdee2cd4452f1903b1..b7381635206c210c978a00e85cfbfb554341add9 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/virtio.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/virtio.c
@@ -2145,14 +2145,13 @@ static Property virtio_properties[] = {
 static int virtio_device_start_ioeventfd_impl(VirtIODevice *vdev)
 {
     VirtioBusState *qbus = VIRTIO_BUS(qdev_get_parent_bus(DEVICE(vdev)));
-    DeviceState *proxy = DEVICE(BUS(qbus)->parent);
     int n, r, err;
 
     for (n = 0; n < VIRTIO_QUEUE_MAX; n++) {
         if (!virtio_queue_get_num(vdev, n)) {
             continue;
         }
-        r = set_host_notifier_internal(proxy, qbus, n, true);
+        r = virtio_bus_set_host_notifier(qbus, n, true);
         if (r < 0) {
             err = r;
             goto assign_error;
@@ -2176,7 +2175,7 @@ assign_error:
             continue;
         }
 
-        r = set_host_notifier_internal(proxy, qbus, n, false);
+        r = virtio_bus_set_host_notifier(qbus, n, false);
         assert(r >= 0);
     }
     return err;
@@ -2193,14 +2192,13 @@ int virtio_device_start_ioeventfd(VirtIODevice *vdev)
 static void virtio_device_stop_ioeventfd_impl(VirtIODevice *vdev)
 {
     VirtioBusState *qbus = VIRTIO_BUS(qdev_get_parent_bus(DEVICE(vdev)));
-    DeviceState *proxy = DEVICE(BUS(qbus)->parent);
     int n, r;
 
     for (n = 0; n < VIRTIO_QUEUE_MAX; n++) {
         if (!virtio_queue_get_num(vdev, n)) {
             continue;
         }
-        r = set_host_notifier_internal(proxy, qbus, n, false);
+        r = virtio_bus_set_host_notifier(qbus, n, false);
         assert(r >= 0);
     }
 }
diff --git a/include/hw/virtio/virtio-bus.h b/include/hw/virtio/virtio-bus.h
index cbdf745c8452bc865e637bd68bb31a0f677b4260..fdf7fdab8194df50ee981cabc492949b5fb72b48 100644
--- a/include/hw/virtio/virtio-bus.h
+++ b/include/hw/virtio/virtio-bus.h
@@ -134,9 +134,4 @@ void virtio_bus_stop_ioeventfd(VirtioBusState *bus);
 /* Switch from/to the generic ioeventfd handler */
 int virtio_bus_set_host_notifier(VirtioBusState *bus, int n, bool assign);
 
-/* This is temporary.  It is only needed because virtio_bus_set_host_notifier
- * sets ioeventfd_disabled but we will shortly get rid of it.  */
-int set_host_notifier_internal(DeviceState *proxy, VirtioBusState *bus,
-                               int n, bool assign);
-
 #endif /* VIRTIO_BUS_H */