AUSTRALIANS deployed to West Africa’s ebola epicentre who become diagnosed with the deadly virus would likely die on the painful 30-hour evacuation flight back to Australia because our allies cannot guarantee use of their treatment facilities.

Despite the deadly risk, the opposition has written to the government demanding Australia send personnel to tackle the ebola crisis, which has now killed 4484 in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek, who twice this year mistook Africa for a country rather than a continent, has been briefed by department heads on the lack of evacuation options, but is still persisting with calls to send personnel to West Africa.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday confirmed he would not consider sending personnel to the disease-plagued region until there was a “politically bankable” guarantee Australians could be flown to closer countries or use on-the ground treatment facilities provided by our allies.

Returning Ebola-infected personnel — who could be bleeding through the skin and uncontrollably excreting bodily fluids — back to Australia would involve 30 hours “in the air”, not including stopovers. Up to six medical crews would be required to alternate shifts on such flights because Hazmat suits get too hot to stay in for long periods of time.

Mr Abbott said he would take no risks until Australia had a promise of closer treatment options: “I think it would be a little irresponsible of an Australian government to order Australian personnel into this very dangerous situation if we didn’t have effective risk-mitigation strategies in place and at the moment there is no way of doing that.’’

Japan and Korea have taken the same view as Mr Abbott.

Ms Plibersek and opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King wrote to foreign minister Julie Bishop and health minister Peter Dutton demanding Australia do more to fight the crisis.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/fears-killer-ebola-disease-is-on-the-l...

I both agree and disagree with you on this one.

Yes, Plibersek is correct when she says we should be doing more.

But Abbott is also correct *GAG!* to not order health and aid workers in
unless measures are in place to treat/evacuate them.

Interestingly, I was listening to Sunrise 'Spin-Free Zone (what a misnomer
that is), with J Kennett and P Beattie, on this very subject.

Beattie wants them sent provided the US take on the responsibility for evac
and treatment (a reasonable suggestion, imo).

But Kennett erupted, basically saying 'If WE can't look after them here (and
apparently we can't) then they shouldn't go.

IMO, this is one of those 'rock and a hard place' scenarios where you run a
grave risk of getting it wrong, no matter which way you jump.

Personally I'd be giving ALL the help we can, short of actual people on the
ground. But if people wish to volunteer to go, then they should be given all
assistance and support.

The UN should establish an isolation hospital in close proximity to the outbreak, protect it with competent troops and supply it with everything it needs for the care of infected health workers.  None should be returned to any country. until they are cleared.

Anyone that has been in the area or exposed to the disease should be subject to quarantine and not allowed to travel in airlines......

Kat wrote on Oct 17^th, 2014 at 7:36am:



......except that the UN are a bunch of ditherers and it'd have to have a dozen committees and processes and votes and then some country would just veto the end result, and in the finish it'd do bugger all and blame the Yanks for acting unilaterally...

...sounds familiar somehow...

longweekend58 wrote on Oct 17^th, 2014 at 7:47am:

Australia help with the Ebola epidemic?  We all know that Tony only follows into areas where he can kill some muslims.

Swagman wrote on Oct 17^th, 2014 at 7:32am:




Lol, you are aware of how big the actual area effected here right?

Swagman wrote on Oct 17^th, 2014 at 7:32am:


see, it's that hard ... even Swag was able to come up with a solution.

why can't we set up a quarantine/ hospital area away from the danger zone? Maybe on one of the small islands surrounding the African continent. Once those that have travelled to the hot zones have spent sufficinet time on said island to be cleared, they are free to fly back home to whatever country they like.

John Smith wrote on Oct 17^th, 2014 at 8:50am:

because it involves money and Tony is too busy wasting it all on killing muslims.