Better health and ageing for all Australians

Quarantine and Travel Health

Quarantine and Travel Health information

The objective of human quarantine activities is to prevent the introduction into Australia of potentially fatal communicable human diseases. Those diseases which are currently subject to quarantine controls are cholera, plague, rabies, yellow fever and viral haemorrhagic fevers.

In this section:

Introduction

This page is intended to provide general information only. Clinical advice on travel related illness and appropriate preventative measures should be sought from a medical practitioner or a specialist travel health clinic. Country or region specific advice should be sought from published travel health guides or the travel health Internet sites listed below.

The Australian Government is committed to preventing the establishment of life threatening exotic infectious human diseases in Australia. With the speed of modern air travel it is no longer possible to detect most cases of exotic infectious diseases at international borders. Hence, prevention strategies rely primarily on the rapid identification and reporting of cases of disease, and the effective application of public health measures to prevent the establishment of exotic infectious diseases within the Australian community.

It is therefore very important that international travellers who develop any illness with a rapid onset of symptoms on their arrival in, or return to, Australia seek urgent medical attention and provide details of the locations visited during their travel. An early diagnosis of a travel related disease may be life-saving and may also prevent an outbreak of a serious infectious disease.

Current activities

The Department of Health and Ageing continues to exercise its responsibilities for human quarantine.

In response to the recommendations of the "Human Quarantine Legislation Review Final Report, November 2000", which was accepted by the Minister for Health in December 2000, the Department is currently implementing some amendments to the human quarantine provisions of the Quarantine Act 1908. These amendments will resolve conflicts and ambiguities, and update the legislation to ensure that it is consistent with current human quarantine policy and practice. The amendments should be introduced to Parliament during the Autumn 2003 Sittings.

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Reviews

1. Australian human quarantine arrangements

Under Australia's federal system of government, the Commonwealth Government has responsibility for quarantine controls on the entry of human, plant and animal diseases and pests. This responsibility is exercised at international air and sea ports by the Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service (AQIS). The authority for quarantine controls is the Quarantine Act 1908 which provides wide powers to appointed quarantine officers. Fines and gaol terms can be applied to persons who contravene Australia's quarantine laws.

The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing has primary responsibility for human quarantine activities in Australia. The purpose of these activities is to allow for the identification and surveillance of persons who have been potentially exposed to a quarantinable disease, the provision of appropriate medical treatment if necessary, and the application of public health measures to prevent the outbreak of any of the quarantinable diseases in Australia.

Currently there are seven human diseases that are subject to quarantine controls in Australia. These are: plague, rabies, cholera, yellow fever, viral haemorrhagic fever, smallpox and SARS. See Section 3 for information on each of these diseases.

2. Australian travel vaccination requirements

The only vaccination requirement for entry to Australia is for yellow fever.

Australia requires any person over one year of age to hold an international yellow fever vaccination certificate if, within the six days prior to their arrival in Australia, they have stayed overnight or longer in a declared yellow fever infected country in Africa or South America.

Any person who is required to be vaccinated for yellow fever, but does not posses a valid vaccination certificate on arrival in Australia, will be placed under quarantine surveillance by an officer of the Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service (AQIS). A surveillance order allows a person to enter Australia on the basis that they report to a health authority if they develop symptoms of yellow fever infection within the surveillance period (i.e. up to a maximum period of six days). The symptoms of yellow fever and relevant instructions are issued with the quarantine surveillance order.

See the information on yellow fever (section 3.5) for the current list of declared yellow fever infected countries and the requirements for a valid vaccination certificate.

3. Information on human quarantine diseases

4. Travel health services and advice

Some medical practitioners specialise in providing travel health advice and vaccinations for overseas travel. There are also companies that specialise in travel health advice and services. Travel health providers are listed in the Yellow PagesTM. Your travel agent may also recommend a travel health provider or a search on the Internet will provide contact details.

Please note that only a government approved medical practitioner, or medical clinic, can provide you with a yellow fever vaccination.

The Department of Health and Ageing does not provide general travel health advice, other than the information on this web site, nor will it provide individual travel vaccination recommendations.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) provides general travel information and advice on its web site (www.dfat.gov.au/travel).

The United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC) provides general travel health advice and country specific health information on its web site (www.cdc.gov/travel).

The World Health Organization (WHO) publishes a booklet titled International Travel and Health which provides general health advice and country specific vaccination requirements. The booklet can be accessed on the WHO web site (www.who.int/ith).

International travellers who become ill on their return to Australia should seek medical advice and provide their doctor with an accurate travel history and details of any travel related vaccinations or medication taken while overseas.
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5. Travel health risks within Australia

Australia is free of many infectious diseases that are a risk to travellers, particularly those that are common in tropical regions. The main infectious diseases that are not endemic in Australia are: However, there are occasional cases of these diseases reported in Australia which have been identified in recently arrived international travellers. Japanese encephalitis has caused outbreaks in the northern Torres Strait islands and there has been a single case reported on the Australian mainland in the Cape York area.

All travellers should be aware of the risk of sexually transmitted illness (e.g. HIV/ AIDS, hepatitis B), food-borne (e.g. salmonella), those that represent a specific risk to only some people (e.g. influenza in those over the age of 65). Travellers should consult a medical practitioner regarding their particular infectious disease risks before they leave home.

Mosquito borne illnesses (e.g. Ross River virus, Murray Valley encephalitis) are also present in Australia.

Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus infection can occur in all areas of Australia where mosquitos are found, but more usually in coastal areas. These illnesses are more common in summer and early autumn. The viruses cause fever, rash, joint pain and lethargy which can last for several months.

Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) is a mosquito borne viral infection which, in some cases, can be life-threatening. Symptoms of infection can include headache, fever, stupor, neck stiffness, confusion, paralysis and coma. MVE is most commonly reported in (northern) Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland during late summer and early autumn, but can be acquired in the southern states (mainly inland areas) during outbreaks. The last outbreak of MVE in Australia was in 1974. The number of cases of MVE reported annually in Australia is usually less than 5 but has been as high as 16.

A related virus, Kunjin virus, can also cause encephalitis but in most cases the infection only causes a mild illness with headache and fever between 5 and 28 days following a mosquito bite.

Where appropriate, travellers should take precautions against mosquito borne diseases by wearing long and loose fitting clothing, applying a mosquito repellent which contains DEET or Picaridin to exposed skin, and sleeping in mosquito proof accommodation.

Information on environmental health risks in Australia (e.g., climate, animals) can be found in the WHO publication International Travel and Health (www.who.int/ith).

Information on current infectious disease risks in the Australian States and Territories can be found at the following web sites:

Advisory processes

There are no formal arrangements for community consultation. However, comments on human quarantine may be made at any time to the Director of the Surveillance.

Contact:

Office of Health Protection Enquiries

Resources

The Quarantine Act 1908
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