NOT FUNNY: Man jokes 'I have Ebola,' gets escorted off plane by officials in hazmat suits (VIDEO)

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC -- Fear of Ebola led to a scary situation for passengers on a flight from the U.S. to the Dominican Republic when a man made a "joke" about having the deadly virus.

Just before the U.S. Airways flight 845 landed on the Caribbean island, the unidentified passenger yelled out, “I’ve been to Africa!” Fox News Latino reported.  Initial reports by the Dominican press said the passenger had yelled, “I have Ebola!”

Emergency personnel wearing blue hazmat suits boarded the plane at Punta Cana International Airport and the passenger was escorted to the airport’s medical center for testing.

Medics verified that the passenger did not have a fever -- a key early symptom of Ebola.

As the man is being escorted off the plane, he can be heard in a video posted to YouTube saying, "I ain't from Africa!"

Fellow passengers are heard booing the man as he is escorted off the plane. One of the flight attendants even referred to the man as an "idiot" when informing passengers that hazmat crews were about to board the plane.

WATCH (Warning: You may hear some profanity)



The ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed nearly 4,000 lives.