A 57-year-old Cairns nurse feared to have contracted Ebola in West Africa has tested negative for the deadly virus.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young confirmed this morning that tests had revealed there was no virus detected in Sue Ellen Kovack's blood stream.

"She's still a bit unwell, but she's better, her fever's resolved at the moment but we are going to be keeping a very close eye on her for the rest of her incubation period," Dr Young said.

"This is a necessary precaution given the patient has been to West Africa and has had a fever within the incubation period of 21 days.

"For the sake of her health and to follow due diligence, we want to be sure she is clear of Ebola virus disease as well as any other disease."

Cairns nurse Sue-Ellen Kovack pictured in Sierra Leone. (Supplied) (Supplied)

It was feared Ms Kovack may have contracted the virus while volunteering with Red Cross in Kenema in Sierra Leone last month to help combat the Ebola outbreak.

She was put into voluntary isolation upon her return to Australia on Sunday before coming down with a fever yesterday.

"She's an admirable individual to have gone overseas and to put herself in risk to provide care to people who so desperately need. It is truly amazing," Dr Young said.

Dr Young said regardless of the outcome of the tests, the broader community was not at risk of contracting Ebola.

She said Ebola was a difficult disease to contract and that authorities on borders in West Africa, as well as Australia, were trained to ensure unwell patients were prevented from boarding planes and were put immediately into isolation if symptoms developed.

If incubation happened to occur on the lengthy flight between West Africa and Australia, she said it would be extremely unlikely that symptoms would develop that would allow a person to transmit the virus, which is not airborne.

"I absolutely do not think we will have an outbreak in Australia," she said.

EBOLA LATEST