Gov. Deval Patrick emphasized the relative safety of getting close to Ebola-infected patients, while state and local officials maintained the state is well equipped to handle cases of the virus that has spread death and devastation through three countries in West Africa.

"If I had Ebola, the commissioner standing right here would be at minimum risk of catching it, if any, if any," Gov. Deval Patrick said, standing next to Department of Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett at a Logan International Airport press conference Tuesday morning. "This is hard to catch. She would have to touch my blood or other bodily fluids . . . and don't."

Two weekend incidents involving people ill on a flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and at a Braintree medical facility generated interest from the public and the news media, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the news conference was held to address the public's fears.

"People are very, very concerned, and I think not as well informed as we'd like them to be about how the disease is communicated," said Patrick, who said the state has not yet had a confirmed case of Ebola.

Dr. Larry Madoff, director of epidemiology and immunization at the Department of Public Health, said that amid flu season and Ebola precautions, people could expect some unpredictability in their travels.

"There are a host of diseases that travelers can be exposed to and in this atmosphere right now of heightened concern and fear, I think there are places in the world that are instituting all kinds of screening procedures, ranging from temperature monitoring to questionnaires to other forms of monitoring," Madoff told the News Service. He said travel "could" become more unpredictable.

Senate Majority Leader Stan Rosenberg, who was not in attendance at the Logan press conference, said it is important to have an all-hands-on-deck response.

"We've got to stay calm, and all hands on deck. It's a serious issue, and we have to make sure everybody's doing their jobs," Rosenberg told the News Service.

In Massachusetts, some public health procedures were on display Monday when medical staff in protective gear boarded a flight that had landed from Dubai, where five passengers were sick with flu-like symptoms in the back of the plane. Two of the passengers had fever, said Massport Fire Chief Robert Donahue. Authorities collected information from passengers who sat near the sick travelers, he said.

Bartlett said "100 percent" of health facilities in the state are asking questions to determine if people with Ebola-like symptoms traveled to dangerous regions, and she said the state is encouraging health facilities to conduct training exercises.

Asked whether the state has a plan for dealing with a potential outbreak of the virus in Massachusetts, Bartlett said, "Every day we are preparing for the possibility." She said, "We meet every day at the Department of Public Health," and communicate with other officials.

World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan has reportedly said the world is "ill-prepared" to respond to a major public health emergency, and said the Ebola outbreak is unprecedented, saying, "I have never seen an infectious disease contribute so strongly to potential state failure."

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Director Kurt Schwartz said he would be conducting a call with local officials this week to ensure they have all the necessary information.

Massport Aviation Director Ed Freni said he would be meeting with airline officials later Tuesday, and said that while Logan would not use temperature monitors to screen passengers, observations would be made.

Madoff said modern sewage treatment facilities are able to handle all kinds of contaminants, and Boston Public Health Commissioner Dr. Huy Nguyen expressed optimism for the medical community's ability to contain the disease.

"Even though this outbreak is unprecedented, Ebola has been around for many, many years - decades. We as a health care community, a public health system, know how to contain Ebola virus disease," said Nguyen, who said understanding patient's risk-factors would be a "mainstay" of preventing the spread.