New Zealand health authorities have stepped up precautions against the possibility of the arrival of Ebola, Prime Minister John Key said Friday.
Key said a special unit had been established at Middlemore Hospital, one of Auckland's major hospitals, and the government was working with offshore partners on the threat, according to a Radio New Zealand report.
He said the government might consider putting people in quarantine, but at this stage it would continue to make assessments.
The threat would be greater if there were a case of Ebola in Australia, but none of the 11 people tested in Australia had been confirmed positive.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had pledged 500,000 NZ dollars (392,095 U.S. dollars) to help the World Health Organization respond to the Ebola outbreak in west Africa, said the report.
The Health Ministry told Radio New Zealand that 58 people have been screened at New Zealand's border for Ebola since August, but none had caused concern.