The picture went viral online after it was posted on the US news and opinion website The Dally Caller.

The passenger is wearing a full body gown, mask and gloves and is reading a piece of paper.

The picture was reportedly taken by another traveller at Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC earlier this week.

It's unclear if it is a stunt, or if the woman is genuinely fearful of contracting Ebola.

It's doubtful whether the Hazmat suit would serve her in any way even if there was a risk of Ebola at the airport.

Social media users have poked fun at such over-cautious behaviour in the US.

I mostly enjoy that the people around person in homemade hazmat suit are completly ignoring the insanity. — Victoria McGrane (@vgmac) October 16, 2014

@samknight1 @onekade @ekeog I have on my homemade hazmat suit bc I heard u can get ebola thru twitter — GHOULISON MASSACRINA (@flexlibris) October 18, 2014

My niece is sick w/ a fever so I'm being good uncle and reading her a bedtime story. She's having trouble hearing me through the Hazmat suit — Kevin O'Neill (@KevinBuffalo) October 18, 2014

In a reversal of this case of over-vigilance, a man wearing no protective gear and armed only with a clipboard as an Ebola patient was transferred also caused uproar online.

The man, who was travelling with a Hazmat team, was dubbed "clipboard man" and "clipboard due" with many attacking him for not wearing a Hazmat suit.

I think #clipboardman should have worn protective gear. What's the harm in being cautious? Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/FYLxYXXSgM — Anne McNamara (@AnneMcNamaraTV) October 16, 2014

#clipboarddude just shows how little people understand about #Ebola. So much blind panic, and it's not even airborne . — Laura (@LauraFixman) October 17, 2014

What the hell is wrong with that guy! How is the CDC not making him wear a suit, that's ridiculous #clipboarddude — Carlos Pineda (@carlos_epineda) October 17, 2014

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly stressed that Ebola is not spread through casual contact, "therefore the risk of an outbreak in the US is very low".

The global death toll from the disease has now exceeded more than 4500.

In the US there have been three cases diagnosed and all have been in Dallas, Texas.

Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed in the US, died on October 8.

Spain also has one confirmed case of Ebola.

The worst-hit countries are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in west Africa.

The World Health Organisation has predicted the countries would have between 5000 and 10,000 new cases each week.