DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Hospitals and doctors’ offices in Iowa are preparing for the unlikely possibility of a case of Ebola in the state. The Des Moines Register reports clinics have started asking whether patients have visited the countries where the Ebola outbreak is based West Africa. And area hospitals are practicing using protective equipment that would be needed to treat an Ebola patient.

Dr. Daniel Gervich with Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines says the risk of an Ebola patient here is extremely low, but it’s important to have a plan in place. Hospitals will have to be ready to isolate patients with symptoms consistent with Ebola – such as vomiting, fever and diarrhea – while testing is done.