But Jones is asymptomatic and will return to work at the AIS on Monday, describing the reaction to the whooping cough outbreak as ''irrational'' - a case of Olympic fever.

Swimming Australia cancelled an Olympic training meeting scheduled for the AIS this weekend after two Australian women's water polo players - Melissa Rippon and Nicola Zagame - were diagnosed with whooping cough during a training camp at the AIS.

Jones, who recently toured China with the Australian women's water polo team, also tested positive after the entire water polo squad was screened earlier this week.

Rippon, Zagame and Jones have been quarantined for three days on a course of antibiotics.

Rippon was the only one of the trio to demonstrate any signs of illness, Jones revealing he'd been immunised prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Jones was confident the illness would not have any detrimental effect on preparation for the London Olympics, which start in 35 days. Zagame had been ''training the house down'', he said.

''We've been able to continue training with them in isolation … so from that point of view I don't think it'll be a detrimental on their preparation. In fact we just came off a fairly heavy workload in training camps and international competition, so if there was ever a periodised down-time it was now,'' he said.

Jones implied a case of Olympic fever when describing the reaction to the whooping cough outbreak.

''This part of the Olympic cycle we tend to get used to dealing with irrational, emotional responses to things,'' Jones said.

Whooping cough is more dangerous for young children, but Jones said his own children - aged six and three - had been immunised and had no symptoms. ''If my kids were going to get it, they'd get it by now. They've had full inoculations as well and they're not presenting with any issues and neither is my wife,'' he said.