TAIPEI, Dec. 6  -- A suspected Ebola case in Taiwan turned out to be a hoax when the tests on the man involved showed negative, the island's disease control authorities said on Saturday.

The 19-year-old man claimed he had been vomiting and suffering from diarrhea since he returned from Nigeria where he ate bat meat. In fact, he had no fever after being isolated in a hospital in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung City.

Disease control authorities found the man had no record of ever having left Taiwan. It is not immediately clear why he had presented such fake information.

According to Taiwan's regulations, a person faces a fine of between 10,000 new Taiwan dollars (320 U.S. dollars) and 150,000 new Taiwan dollars for giving false information about communicable diseases.

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