July 29, 2014 – Sheik Umar Khan, a top doctor attending to patients infected with the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is dead. He died today at a ward run by Doctors without Borders, situated north of the country. He was infected earlier this month.
Sierra Leon’s Minister for Health, Miatta Kargbo described Dr. Khan as a national hero and praised him for his sacrifice in working to save the lives of others.
His death comes four days after Samuel Brisbane, a senior doctor at Liberia’s largest hospital died. Brisbane died on Saturday at an Ebola treatment centre on the outskirts of Monrovia.
Several other medics have been infected. The Serving In Mission (SIM)/ Sameritan said on Saturday that a US doctor, Kent Brantly, who was working in Liberia was also sick. Patrick Sawyer a Liberian died in Lagos of EVD on Monday July 21 at First Consultant Hospital in Obalende, Lagos. The hospital has so far been shut down in line with requirement of the World Head Organisation(WHO).
Ebola has so far killed about 672 people since the onset in West Africa. It has neither cure nor vaccine. It is contracted through body fluid.
