About Ebola virus disease (EVD)
Ebola virus disease is a serious and often fatal disease caused by the Ebola virus. Symptoms can include sudden onset of fever, muscle pain and headache. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.
Ebola is spread by direct contact (for example, by touching) body fluids of a person who is sick or died from Ebola. This includes blood, vomit, faeces (poo) and spit, sweat and semen. There have been no known cases of Ebola virus being transmitted through air or water.
The incubation period, (the time between exposure to the disease and the first appearance of symptoms), is from 2 to 21 days. People only become infectious once they begin to show symptoms.
Victorian Ebola virus disease plan
The Department of Health has updated the Victorian Ebola Virus Disease Plan to provide guidance for health care workers with guidance on actions to take for a suspected or confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease.
The risk of importation of Ebola into Victoria is low, however, while the outbreak continues in West Africa, there remains the possibility of a case appearing in Australia, including Victoria.
Victoria has measures in place to assess and monitor people arriving from EVD affected areas who may be at risk of having Ebola virus disease. If a local case of Ebola virus disease should be suspected and detected, Victoria is ready.
Download documents
These resources may be frequently updated and added to as necessary. Please return to the site to download the latest version of available resources produced by the Department of Health.
Resource name: Victorian Ebola Virus Disease Plan, Version 3
Date issued: May 2015
Audience: Health services, government departments, medical practitioners, health professionals
Purpose: Issued to metropolitan, regional and other health services and stakeholders including general practitioners that outlines the exact actions that will be taken by the Department of Health, Commonwealth border agencies, Ambulance Victoria, and health services to prepare for and respond to a suspected case of EVD.
Resource name: Short guide to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Resources and training for Ebola in Victoria
Date issued: March 2015
Audience: Clinicians and healthcare workers
Purpose: This short guide provides a checklist to PPE resources that have been endorsed by the Victorian Department of Health.
Resource name: Travelling to an Ebola Virus Disease affected area? - Information to protect yourself and others
Date issued: December 2014
Audience: Travellers to EVD affected areas, health care workers and clinicans
Purpose: To provide travellers to an Ebola Virus Disease affected area with information and advice to protect themselves and others.
Resource name: Ebola virus disease - Information for Victorians to FAQs
Date issued: February 2015
Audience: Members of the Victorian community
Purpose: To provide health care services with responses to frequently asked questions from the community.
Resource name: Ebola virus disease - Visitor to Emergency Department - A4 poster
Date issued: February 2015
Audience: Visitors to ED
Purpose: Poster for display in public waiting areas asking visitors to notify staff immediately if they have returned from overseas and are displaying symptoms.
Resource name: Ebola virus disease - Visitors to this service - A4 poster
Date issued: February 2015
Audience: Visitors to Service
Purpose: Poster for display in public waiting areas asking visitors to notify staff immediately if they have returned from overseas and are displaying symptoms.
Resource name: Ebola virus disease - Triage ALERT - A4 poster
Date issued: February 2015
Audience: Triage staff in ED
Purpose: A list of conditions to consider for patients returned from overseas. For display in hospital triage area.
Resource name: Ebola virus disease - Initial assessment and management of suspected EVD flowchart - A3 posterDate issued: November 2014
Audience: Hospital staff
Purpose: An initial assessment flowchart (A3 size) to guide health professionals through a decision tree with appropriate actions outlined.
Resource name: Ebola risk symptoms - communication aid for health professionals
Date issued: October 2014
Audience: Clinicians and health workers
Purpose: To provide a pictorial guide to aid conversation and Ebola risk assessment by a clinician when speaking with a person with limited or no English language skills.
Reviewed 22 September 2021