Health Officials Say Ebola Low-Risk in Miss.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — State health officials say they are keeping Mississippi hospitals and medical facilities up-to-date on Ebola identification and treatment.

State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier, speaking at a briefing in Jackson on Wednesday, says Ebola is low-risk in Mississippi. However, she says the Health Department is working with hospitals to get staff trained and prepared to handle any cases that might show up.

Currier says identification of the disease is the important first step. She says the symptoms of high fever and diarrhea could be a lot of things. She says travel history is one of the first questions that should be asked of patients.

Currier says those at risk are people who traveled in the past 21 days in West Africa and who had hands-on contact with an Ebola patient.