The United States’ first case of Ebola was confirmed in Dallas Tuesday. The deadly disease is not expected to spread, but health departments across the US are vigilant, including in Arizona. 

The patient arrived in the U.S. September 20. Four days, later he started showing symtoms of Ebola. And that’s when he could have spread the disease to others, but CDC director Tom Frieden said it’s likely the patient only came in close contact with a handful of people while infectious.

"I have no doubt that we’ll stop this in our tracks in the US," Frieden said. "But I also have no doubt that as long as the outbreak continues in Africa, we need to be on our guard.

That means doctors across the country are asking people who show possible symptoms of Ebola about whether they’ve traveled to parts of Africa hit hard by the disease. Jessica Rigler is the chief for the Bureau of Epidemiology and Disease Control for the Arizona Deptartment of Health Services. She said investigating and treating infectious disease is already a "daily part" of the state health department’s job.

"We stand ready to respond if we should get a case of Ebola here, in Arizona," Rigler said, "and our health care facilities and public health departments are prepared to react with infection control and contact investigations, if necessary."

Rigler said most of the state’s hospitals are equipped to isolate an infected patient if needed. Ebola is not airborne and can only be spread through bodily fluids. It has killed more than 3,000 people in West Africa this year.