NICOSIA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus turned back an Israeli passenger who arrived from Vienna on Sunday, suspecting that he was a possible Ebola case, Health Minister Philippos Patsalis said.

"We were alerted by the appropriate United States authorities that a man under observation as a possible Ebola case was travelling to Cyprus," Patsalis said.

The man was traced on an Austrian Airways flight from Vienna to Larnaca airport and the Ebola action plan was implemented, the Minister said.

The man was not allowed to disembark and his temperature was taken on the plane.

Patsalis said his body temperature was normal, but after a conversation he was convinced to go back to Vienna on the same plane. All passengers on the same flight were listed as a precaution.

The Minister said Israeli and Austrian authorities were notified about the incident, the first such case to be reported in Cyprus which is used by thousands of passengers as a transit point to Europe.