Maitland members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) have joined the Doctors Reform Society in demanding that Prime Minister Tony Abbott play a role in tackling the international health ­emergency.

“Maitland nurses will do whatever is needed to help fight this outbreak,” Hunter NSWNMA organiser Matthew Byrne said.

“The nurses who have contracted this horrible disease were just doing their job and nurses here in the Hunter can ­certainly relate to that.”

General Secretary of the NSWNMA Brett Holmes said the government ­needed to act swiftly and make arrangements for those doctors and nurses ­willing to travel abroad.

“I have no doubt that nurses and ­midwives across the Hunter, including Maitland, support our call for greater contribution from the federal government in dealing with this crises,” Mr Holmes said. “We are well aware of the protocols and procedures in place to manage any potential outbreaks from a domestic standpoint – our medical ­professionals are well informed.

“The broader issue is still from the national response.”

Mr Holmes said nurses across NSW have been given updates and need to be alert for people who have travelled to West Africa.

“Just last night nurses were told there is no guarantee there won’t be a presentation of people who may well arrive at our airports without symptoms but develop them later,” he said.

“The best way to deal with this is to make sure every effort is made at the source in West Africa to help those staff willing to offer their services.

“This outbreak needs to be contained properly before it’s allowed to spread around the world.”

Symptoms for Ebola usually begin about eight to 10 days after exposure to the virus. Initial symptoms resemble the flu including headache, fever, aches and pains with diarrhoea and vomiting to follow.

In about 50 per cent of cases Ebola takes a severe turn causing victims to haemorrhage, and eventually heart, liver, kidney and other organs begin to fail. 

Doctors Reform Society national president Dr Con Costa said it was imperative for Australia to play a role in tackling the international emergency.

“Our government must extend an adequate financial contribution to support efforts on the ground in West Africa and make arrangements for our medical expertise to play a role,” Dr Costa said.

“It is not the time for Mr Abbott to be recalcitrant on this issue. There are both medical and technical personnel in Australia who would be willing to offer their expertise on the ground, yet the Government appears to be stalling.”