Two New Zealand nurses who worked with ebola patients in Sierra Leone have told of their difficult mission.
Tutukaka woman Donna Collins and Sharon Mackie of Wellington left in August for Sierra Leone as part of an international response to the ebola outbreak.
They returned home recently after being part of a team that helped build and staff a Red Cross field hospital.
"We were seeing ambulances arriving with people that were extremely unwell and no knowledge of who they were and where they'd actually come from. And so when they died it was very difficult to trace back to find relatives to inform them," Ms Mackie told Radio New Zealand today.
Mrs Collins said that when working with ebola patients they wore full protective suits which covered their boots, two pairs of gloves, a plastic gown, a hood and goggles, and a duckbill mask.
After leaving Sierra Leone, the pair spent 21 days in quarantine in Morocco.
Before she left, Mrs Collins spoke about what she was expecting during the three-week stint.
She said that, as a nurse and midwife, she had a passion for helping people.
"I'd like to think if the tables were turned, other countries would come to our assistance. I feel 100 per cent supported and safe. This kind of work is nothing new to me. I deal with bodily fluids on a daily basis, and I am trained and experienced in following proper procedure."
Ms Mackie said she was keen to use her skills and experience to help stop the disease spreading further.
Their deployment was prompted by a request to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies by the Government of Sierra Leone and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
New Zealand Red Cross secretary general Tony Paine said earlier that Mrs Collins and Ms Mackie were courageous, committed and true humanitarians.
"We've been asked for help and our nurses have put their hands up. They are well trained, experienced, and prepared. They have an opportunity to really make a difference to people's lives," Mr Paine said.
Teats on Australian nurse Sue-Ellen Kovack, who returned from working at a Red Cross ebola hospital in Sierra Leone recently, returned negative this morning.
The 57-year-old was admitted to Cairns Hospital on Thursday with a "low-grade fever" raising fears she may have become infected with the deadly virus.
Queensland's Chief Health Officer said today that blood tests had returned negative results and no virus was detected in Ms Kovack's blood.
However, she would remain under observation.
The outbreak has killed more than 3800 people, according to the latest World Health Organisation figures.
The vast majority of those deaths have been in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
