Ebola victim who sparked global panic had been travelling back to his home in Minnesota when he became ill in Nigeria, where he died. Patrick Sawyer worked for the Liberian government, but lived in the US with his wife and three children. Mr Sawyer, had been caring for his sick sister, in Liberia, (who he did not know to be suffering the Ebola virus) before travelling to Lagos, Nigeria for a conference. Whilst on the plane Mr Sawyer became ill, on arrival in Nigeria he booked himself into a private hospital, where he later died.

Ebola virus has an incubation period of up to 21 days, and first looks like any other virus: fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea. The virus then causes internal bleeding, and can be 90% fatal.

Had Mr Sawyer reached the States he could have become patient zero in a US epidemic.

Read More: The Telegraph