EBOLA is not a laughing matter, which is why we were surprised when a federal Health Department spokesperson laughed at a question we put about contingencies for navy personnel returning from the United States.
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Our interest was based on the alarm that has spread through the US after it was revealed a nurse diagnosed with the disease had flown on a commercial airliner while suffering early symptoms. We were not seeking to fuel local alarm; rather, to get some kind of assurance that the authorities were planning for any worst-case scenarios.
The evidence out of America suggests that country is not handling its own Ebola problems as well as it should be. Revelations about the way infectious patients were treated and protocols were ignored or, worse, were inadequate do not inspire confidence.
While the US is not classified as an Ebola-affected country, the transmission of the disease on American soil raises the possibility of it facing some kind of outbreak, however remote. It is perfectly natural for people likely to come into contact with others who have travelled to the US to want assurances from Australian authorities that this possibility is being given some thought.
Since making our inquiry on Thursday, high level meetings have taken place in Australia to lay out plans across the country for the possible arrival of the disease on our shores. This is far more reassuring than the glib response we got when we posed the question.
