A University of Western Australia medical microbiologist is urging Australia to immediately send specialised medical teams to West Africa to fight the Ebola virus.
Professor Tim Inglis argued the best defence was to act now rather than risk waiting when the crisis could be far worse.
Australia has contributed $18 million to fight the epidemic but currently has no teams in Ebola-affected areas.
The Abbott Government is resisting the move because it believes sending Australian civilians or soldiers would constitute a breach of its duty of care as it cannot ensure they would be treated if they became infected.
It is negotiating with the US, UK and some European Union countries to guarantee they would treat Australian workers.
Speaking at his laboratory in Perth’s Queen Elizabeth II Medical centre, Professor Inglis said it currently took 3-5 days to confirm a test for Ebola in some remote areas.
Instead of sending large numbers of people, Professor Inglis believed Australia should use its niche capabilities.
That would involve small teams of two or three medical scientists with mobile laboratory testing equipment that followed disease control teams.
‘Lab in a suitcase’ tests for Ebola in the field
He has developed a mobile molecular lab, or ‘lab in a suitcase’, which he has tested in other emerging infectious disease areas. The equipment can confirm the existence of Ebola in an hour and 10 minutes.
Professor Inglis said the global response to Ebola was being undermined by “media hype and political panic”. Rather than fearing Ebola, immediate action was needed, he said.
“I believe what we should now be doing is taking a serious look at getting specifically laboratory capability to the field because we’ve got the capability,” Professor Inglis said.
“It’s that niche, small capability. It’s a low risk for a potentially big benefit in terms of epidemic control.”
Transportable laboratories have already been sent to West Africa, but Professor Inglis said those had then been “anchored” to one location, and it took time to bring samples to the labs.
Now was the time to “free up the labs” and take them to the front line. He pointed out there was a better survival rate if Ebola was treated early with intravenous fluids.
About 50 per cent of Ebola cases are fatal.
Therefore, it was essential to act “decisively to defeat the virus and deal with its critical vulnerabilities,” Professor Inglis said.
“It requires direct physical contact. That means physical quarantine is effective.”
In an article published in the scientific journal Nature on Thursday, Professor Inglis wrote “the default response to infectious diseases is often fear”. But he believed Australia could handle isolated cases.
The Federal Government on Monday stopped processing visa applications from people travelling to Australia from Ebola-affected countries.
Professor Inglis did not comment on this decision but said “the real issue is that the threat to Australia, the United States and other developed countries will be much higher in six months.”
“The best defence is to act now and in Africa.”
He has volunteered to travel to West Africa and hopes to be in the region by the end of the year.