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Never Joke About Ebola On A Plane

By Sara

Most people with half a brain know that you shouldn't get on a plane and joke about bombs, but I guess it now needs to be spelled out that you shouldn't joke about deadly diseases either.

On Wednesday, a man on an U.S. Airways flight from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic decided to yell,"I have Ebola!" after he started coughing. (It is rumored that he also may have yelled out, "I've been to Africa!")

In his head, I am sure that the unidentified passenger thought he would get a few chuckles from his seatmates. But in comedy you need to know your audience, and NOBODY was laughing on this plane. People started freaking out. And in a scene right out of a movie, when the plane landed, a team in HAZMAT SUITS came on board and escorted the prankster off.

OF COURSE people whipped out their phones to film the HAZMAT team's arrival and several videos made it to YouTube. In the best video you see the flight attendant get on the overhead and tell the passengers, quote, "I have done this for 36 years, and I think that the man who has said this is an idiot, and I'll say that straight out. This is all new territory for all of us. I am trying to keep you in the loop the best I can." (The team shows up at about 1:40 and the flight attendant gives her speech just prior to that.)

The passenger was taken to the medical center in the Punta Cana International Airport and it took about two hours for doctors to determine that the guy DIDN'T have Ebola and that he had never been to Africa.

There is still no word on if the gentleman will be facing any charges, but he did cost himself a Dominican vacation and instead earned himself a U.S. "vacation" where he will be put through more medical tests just to be safe.

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