Updated travel advice for Liberia and Sierra Leone

The Australian Government is urging Australians travelling to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea to reconsider their need to travel in the wake of the most serious recorded outbreak of the Ebola virus disease.

The Government has reissued its advice to Australians in Sierra Leone and Liberia, raising the level to reconsider your need to travel, in line with existing advice for Guinea. This reflects the seriousness of the outbreak and the ongoing challenges in containing it.

Australians should be aware that a range of travel restrictions and screening procedures apply in those countries, including the closure of some border crossings. Further closures may occur with little notice. The Government will have very limited capacity to provide consular assistance in these circumstances, and any medical evacuation would be very difficult to conduct.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in consultation with the Department of Health, continues to issue regular bulletin updates on the Ebola outbreak through the Smartraveller website. Both Departments remain in close contact with the international agencies monitoring the Ebola outbreak and international responses.

All travel advisories are kept under close review by the Government. I reiterate that Australians travelling to Ebola-affected areas in West Africa should familiarise themselves with the travel advice on my Department's website, register their details on Smartraveller before departing Australia and contact their insurance provider to check their details of coverage.

Australia is providing over $40 million annually to the World Health Organisation to support its work. These funds can be used flexibly, including to respond to disease outbreaks.