As the Democratic Republic of Congo fights to control an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, a New Zealand expert says there is little threat it could make its way here.
Ebola has been reported in Mbandaka - the capital of Equateur province with a population of more than a million people - and the death toll is about 26 people, with about 46 people infected in total.
Outbreaks have been taking place for decades in Africa, and Ebola kills, on average, about half of the people it infects.
It is very infectious and there is no reliable cure or vaccine for it, although an experimental vaccine which was developed during the last outbreak is being tested in the region currently.
Dr Marc Lanteigne of Massey University, speaking this morning to TVNZ 1's Breakfast, said while it is definitely a local emergency in the region, there is little chance the virus could be a threat to New Zealand.
"No, I believe that at this point the World Health Organisation has said this is a local emergency - they are doing their level best to keep this contained," he said.
"From a regional point of view it is definitely a concern."
Dr Lanteigne said the isolated nature of the area where the virus is can lead to very few cases being reported for extended periods, and that same isolation makes it difficult to get treatment resources into the area.
There can be very few cases reported at all during a long period, but the virus can also infect animals, and so while not many humans may have it, it is passed back and forth between species.
During previous outbreaks, airports in New Zealand carried extensive screening checks on travellers entering New Zealand from affected countries, and no cases were found here.
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