S. Leone’s Head Ebola Doctor Succumbs To Virus; Other HCWs Infected

News outlets report on the death of a leading physician in Sierra Leone and other health care workers affected by the Ebola outbreak. Health care workers are battling the virus as well as fear from local communities that they are helping to spread the disease.

Agence France-Presse: Head doctor at S. Leone Ebola clinic dies of virus
“A doctor in charge of an Ebola treatment center in Sierra Leone has become another victim of the deadly virus, the country’s health chief said Tuesday…” (7/29).

Associated Press: Top doctor dies from Ebola after treating dozens
“…Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan, who was praised as a national hero for treating the disease in Sierra Leone, was confirmed dead by health ministry officials there. He had been hospitalized in quarantine…” (Larson et al., 7/29).

Reuters: Sierra Leone’s top Ebola doctor dies from virus
“The death of Sheik Umar Khan, who was credited with treating more than 100 patients, follows those of dozens of local health workers and the infection of two American medics in neighboring Liberia, highlighting the dangers faced by staff trying to halt the disease’s spread across West Africa…” (Fofana/Bailes, 7/30).

Agence France-Presse: U.S. Ebola doctor ‘weak and quite ill,’ says colleague
“An American doctor who has contracted the dangerous Ebola virus in Liberia is ‘weak and quite ill,’ a colleague of his told AFP on Tuesday. Kent Brantly, 33, became infected with Ebola while working with patients in the Liberian capital, Monrovia…” (Sheridan, 7/29).

NPR: American Doctor Sick With Ebola Now Fighting For His Life
“A doctor trained in Fort Worth, Texas, is now a victim of the Ebola outbreak he was battling. Kent Brantly, 33, had been caring for Ebola patients in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, for several months when he noticed he had symptoms of the deadly virus last Wednesday…” (Silverman, 7/29).

Agence France-Presse: Canadian doctor quarantined after exposure to Ebola
“A Canadian doctor has put himself in quarantine as a precaution after spending weeks in West Africa treating patients with the deadly Ebola virus alongside an American doctor who is now infected, local media said Tuesday…” (7/29).

New York Times: Fear of Ebola Breeds a Terror of Physicians
“…Health workers [in Guinea] say they are now battling two enemies: the unprecedented Ebola epidemic, which has killed more than 660 people in four countries since it was first detected in March, and fear, which has produced growing hostility toward outside help. On Friday alone, health authorities in Guinea confirmed 14 new cases of the disease…” (Nossiter, 7/27).

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