A DEPARTMENT of Health spokesperson has dismissed concerns about HMAS Albatross crews returning from Jacksonville in the US, despite the country having confirmed cases of Ebola.
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The first of the 112 personnel, who went to the US for training on the new MH-60R Seahawk Romeo helicopters, have started returning to the Shoalhaven, with the majority expected to be home by Christmas.
The first of 24 Romeo helicopters arrived back at the local naval base on Tuesday.
Questions put to the federal Department of Health about the returning personnel and whether any procedures had been put in place for them and their families were laughed at.
The Register sought comment from various departments including Defence and Foreign Affairs before being directed to the federal Health Department.
“The US is not considered an Ebola country,” the spokesperson said.
“They [the US] has had a couple of close contact but is not considered an Ebola country.
“The Health Department isn’t doing anything with anyone from the US as it is not considered to be an Ebola risk.”
The spokesperson said the department started screening passengers who had travelled in West Africa in early August and has since interviewed more than 700 at airports around the country.
“We are not testing planes from the US,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said prior to the Ebola threat, announcements were made over every plane coming into the country advising anyone who felt unwell to make themselves known to flight attendants. Now the symptoms for people to look out for possible Ebola are mentioned and anyone feeling unwell is urged to contact quarantine people or a doctor.
“For anyone who felt they had concerns there is a lot of information out there,” the spokesperson said.
Health Minister Peter Dutton said while the Abbott government was negotiating with the US, Britain and European allies to secure a guarantee of medical treatment for any Australian personnel who contracted the lethal virus in West Africa, he was not prepared to “send Australian health workers into harm’s way without having 100 per cent assurance that we could provide those people with the support they deserve”.
It is estimated about 30 Australian personnel are already working in West Africa for organisations such as the Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Chief health officer of NSW Dr Kerry Chant said NSW was carefully monitoring the situation in the United States, where a second nurse, 29-year-old Amber Vinson, has contracted the disease from a patient who was treated at a Texas hospital.
Dr Chant said that while it was not inevitable that Ebola would make its way to Australia, “We are part of a global community and international diseases spread internationally and we do have to plan for that contingency”.
But she said Australia had a “very robust” health care system and “while we may see cases of Ebola here I’m confident we have systems in place that would prevent further transmission and outbreaks occurring in our context”.