Australia won't impose travel restrictions despite overseas Ebola spread

There have been more than 220 likely Ebola-related deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters: Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)

Australia will not impose border restrictions or quarantine travellers from Ebola-affected countries.

Federal health minister Mark Butler said Australia was monitoring the outbreak closely.

The federal government will not impose border restrictions on travellers from Ebola-stricken countries despite new suspected cases in Italy and Brazil, as the worsening outbreak prompts other countries to take action to try to minimise the spread of the disease.

Health Minister Mark Butler said while suspected case numbers and deaths were "climbing very fast", at this stage Australia had no plans to impose travel restrictions or quarantine requirements on affected countries.

"I'm taking very regular advice about this, this is a deeply concerning outbreak," Mr Butler said.

As authorities around the world mobilise to stem the spread of the disease, there are many complicating factors at play — there is no approved vaccine or treatment for this strain of Ebola virus, and it originated in a country where active conflict hampers infection control.

The true reach of the Ebola outbreak in central Africa could be much wider than the official figures published by central African authorities, the World Health Organization is warning.

Ebola is a group of severe infectious diseases that can cause an excessive inflammatory response and tissue damage.

Ebola is caused by a species of orthoebolaviruses that were first identified in 1976, with three species causing large outbreaks.

These are: Zaire ebolavirus (commonly known as Ebola virus), Sudan virus and the current outbreak, Bundibugyo virus, which originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Ebola is a zoonotic disease, meaning it spreads between animals and humans.

In this case scientists believe fruit bats are involved in the spread, but it can also infect primates.

Human contact can also occur through hunting and eating animal meat.

Initial symptoms can include fever and a headache, but as the disease progresses it can cause bleeding from body parts such as the nose and eyes.

While there are vaccines and treatments for the Zaire ebolavirus, crucially there are none for Sudan virus or Bundibugyo virus.

University of Queensland infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist Paul Griffin said while some products were in development, there were additional challenges with this latest outbreak.

Ebola doesn't spread through the air like COVID. Instead, people can