Australia at forefront of fight against Ebola
Almost 3,500 people have already died from Ebola and in Sierra Leone the epidemic is triggering five new cases every hour.
The World Health Organisation are now warning medical staff to take care, even in developed countries.
In Australia authorities are taking no chances and already prepared and ready for a worst case scenario.
It may be literally the last place on Earth likely to be critically affected by Ebola, yet few countries are as prepared as Australia.
7News has been given an insight into the new ultra isolation unit at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, which is fully equipped with a team of specialists drilled for a potential outbreak.
Professor Lyn Gilbert, from Westmead, said: "Absolutely, there are contingency plans in place. We have designated hospitals and they'll be transferred to those hospitals.
"We could manage large numbers of patients if we absolutely have to."
Australia is also at the forefront of the global scientific fight against Ebola, including a major breakthrough which may solve one of the greatest challenges of all: detecting the virus.
A Doctors Without Borders (MSF), health worker in protective clothing carries a child suspected of having Ebola in the MSF treatment centre in Paynesville, Liberia
Ebola attacks the white blood cells and Australian scientists are hoping their breakthrough will lead to a simple blood test.
When DNA within those cells comes into contact with Ebola the infected molecules would glow a fluorescent colour, alerting doctors to the presence of the deadly virus.
Dr Lawrence Lee, of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, said: "It works very much like a light switch. so, literally, your sample in the presence of viral or bacterial DNA will light up.
"It would provide a fast, accurate diagnosis, preventing the need for mass testing or travel bans, and potentially replacing multi-million dollar equipment with a mobile phone."
Robbie Oppenheimer, who is also from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, added: "We could foresee the application of this technogy in a mobile diagnostic phone, say, for instance plugged into an iPhone or a USB it would allow anybody around the world to detect viruses or bacteria."
The young scientists will present their breakthrough to the world at Harvard University next month.
