Ebola outbreak risk in Australia low: govt

Staff at Australian airports are keeping a close eye on the health of people entering the country in light of the killer Ebola epidemic in west Africa.

But the risk of an outbreak in Australia is very low, Health Minister Peter Dutton says.

The World Health Organization has declared the virus's spread a public health emergency of international concern and appealed for global aid to help afflicted countries.

Ebola has claimed at least 932 lives and infected more than 1700 people since breaking out in Guinea earlier this year.

Australians are advised to reconsider their need to travel to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The Abbott government is taking advice from Chief Medical Officer Chris Baggoley, who was on the WHO committee advising the emergency declaration.

Ebola was a serious disease but not highly contagious, Mr Dutton said on Friday.

"Ebola is not influenza, it is not caught through coughing or sneezing," he said.

"It is only caught through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal."

Border protection agencies are on alert to watch for unwell people at Australian airports, incoming flights have on-board announcements asking passengers to advise crew if they feel unwell with fever, chills or sweat, and new information banners will be installed at airports to raise awareness of the symptoms of Ebola.

There is one Australian official in Liberia as part of a UN operation, AAP understands.