Ebola Threat: Could It Spread to Australia?

As Ebola returns to global headlines, Southern Cross University's Dr Peter Bai James brings a rare frontline perspective. A former health worker during the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, whose doctoral research focused on Ebola survivors, Dr James breaks down what we know about the current outbreak, how the virus spreads, and what needs to happen next.

What is Ebola, and why is this outbreak concerning?

Ebola is a severe and often fatal viral disease. Symptoms can include diarrhoea, vomiting, body aches and internal and external bleeding, with the virus capable of causing multiple organ failure.

The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no available vaccine or specific treatment, adding to concerns about containment.

Dr James says a range of non-medical factors are accelerating transmission.

Video transcript

What is Ebola and should you really be concerned?

Ebola is actually a rare viral disease and that is a really severe.

One in every two person that got infected will likely die. The common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, aches body aches and pains and then in severe cases you can have bleeding in your eyes, your nose, mouth or even your ears.

It can lead to multiple organ failure and finally death.

With regards to the current outbreak in Congo the chances of its spread is high especially for neighbouring countries.

Countries that are away from that region especially east and central of Africa the chances of it spreading is very low, so, for example, Australia or Europe or North America the chances the chances of it spreading is really low as of now.

With regards to the current outbreak, it's a rare strain, it's not a common strain.

But for this particular strain there is no vaccine and there is no therapeutic or medicine to treat it.

The region in which this outbreak is currently happening, there is currently a war going on there.

There is a lot of displacement and people are in crowded camps, you know, displacement camps and you can imagine the spread the

where people are crowded the thing can it can easily spread. How people get it is through the fluids from an infected person.

Fighting Ebola is much more of a socio cultural issue as it is a biomedical issue.

Community are fighting back because they don't understand, they don't trust authorities.

What needs to be done is there should be community engagement where community leaders, traditional leaders, traditional healers

come on board to sensitise populations or community because that's that's the only way you build trust.

One thing about Ebola fight it's not it's not that so difficult to control.

Once you are able to do proper contact tracing which is surveillance the surveillance and contact tracing surveillance and isolation

once you do that you you stop this you you stop the chain of spread but you need community buy-in into it.

"There is a major humanitarian crisis happening in the region where this outbreak is, and the conflict is causing displacement with people in crowded camps," Dr James said.

"Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person, animal or through contaminated objects, so, in a crowded area, it can easily spread. The conflict also makes it difficult for medical teams to conduct contact tracing."

Will Ebola spread to Australia?

While the risk remains high for neighbouring countries, the likelihood of Ebola spreading to geographically distant nations such as Australia is considered low.

"The Australian authorities have put in measures to prevent the spread of Ebola here. Border security and public health departments are working to ensure people coming from affected countries are screened and isolated for up to 21 days," Dr James said.

Socio-cultural factors contributing to spread

Beyond medical challenges, socio-cultural dynamics are also contributing to the spread of Ebola.

Dr James explained that community trust and cultural practices can influence how effectively outbreaks are managed.

"To prevent the spread of Ebola, you must follow strict infection prevention control protocols, including the safe burial of those who have or are suspected to have died of the virus. This creates tension between the community and health authorities when it is customary to wash and dress the body for a respectful burial. This means burials should be done in a culturally safe way," said Dr James.

"The other issue is that the community doesn't trust the authorities, and this is fuelled by decades of conflict and misinformation, especially on social media. What is needed is community engagement, where community leaders, religious leaders, and traditional healers come on board to build trust and get community buy-in."

Quick facts

What is Ebola? Ebola is a severe, often fatal viral disease that spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, causing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.

How does Ebola spread? Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood, vomit, faeces and saliva, semen as well as contaminated materials (surfaces or medical equipment).

What are the symptoms of Ebola? Common symptoms of Ebola include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding and organ failure.

Can Ebola spread to Australia? The risk of Ebola spreading to Australia is very low due to strict biosecurity measures, including screening, monitoring and isolation protocols for travelers from affected regions.