Authorities in Liberia said Thursday that they plan to prosecute the U.S. Ebola patient because he allegedly lied on an airport health questionnaire.
Passengers leaving Liberia are being screened for fever and are asked whether they have had contact with anyone infected with Ebola. Thomas Eric Duncan, who was diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas after flying from Liberia last month, answered “no,” according to a copy of his form obtained by The Associated Press.
Neighbors have said that Duncan helped a sick pregnant woman who later died of the disease. Binyah Kesselly, chairman of the board of directors of the Liberia Airport Authority, told reporters Thursday that Duncan will be prosecuted when he returns to Liberia.
“The fact that he knew and left the country is unpardonable, quite frankly,” President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the Canadian network CBC. “I just hope that nobody else gets infected. Fortunately, he’s in the United States, where medical care, you know, is very good.”
When Duncan returns to Liberia, she said, “Then we’ll have to deal with him.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.