|
 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.
Ebola is believed to have killed 672 people in Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone since the outbreak began in February, according to the
World Health Organisation.
The contagious disease, which has no known cure, has symptoms that
include vomiting, diarrhea and internal and external bleeding. The
fatality rate of the current outbreak is around 60 percent although
Ebola can kill up to 90 percent of those who catch it.
The 39-year-old Khan, hailed as a "national hero" by the Health
Ministry, had been moved to a treatment ward run by the medical
charity Medecins Sans Frontieres in the far north of Sierra Leone.
He died less than a week after his diagnosis was announced, and
shortly before President Ernest Bai Koroma arrived to visit his
treatment center in the northeastern town of Kailahun.
"It is a big and irreparable loss to Sierra Leone as he was the only
specialist the country had in viral hemorrhagic fevers," said the
chief medical officer, Brima Kargbo.
FOOTBALL BAN
Weak health systems are struggling to contain the disease despite
international help ranging from doctors to safety equipment.
Guinea, where the outbreak originated, has seen new cases in the
capital Conakry and in the eastern mining town of Siguiri, where a
new isolation ward has opened. In both areas, the infection spread
through contact with visitors from Sierra Leone, according to
Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, who leads Guinea's efforts to stop the
outbreak.
In neighboring Liberia, the national soccer authority suspended
matches nationwide, a spokesman said.
While the WHO has stopped short of recommending travel restrictions,
the Togolese airline Asky has suspended flights to and from Sierra
Leone and Liberia as concern over the spread of the virus has
increased since the first death was reported last week in Nigeria's
coastal city of Lagos, home to 21 million people.
[to top of second column] |
The dead man was Patrick Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia's Finance
Ministry in his 40s who had flown to Nigeria with Asky via its home
hub, Lome.
His wife Decontee told the U.S. channel NBC News on Tuesday that he
was an American from Minnesota.
Asky said it would no longer take on food in Guinea, and that
passengers leaving the Guinean capital Conakry would be checked for
signs of the disease before departure.
The airline added that medical teams would be deployed to screen
passengers in transit through Lome.
Nigeria's largest carrier, Arik Air, has suspended flights to
Liberia and Sierra Leone because of the Ebola risk.
On Monday, a U.S. administration official said President Barack
Obama was receiving updates and noted that U.S. agencies had stepped
up assistance to help contain the virus.
(Additional reporting by Emma Farge and Bate Felix in Dakar and
Clair MacDougall in Monrovia; Writing by David Lewis and Daniel
Flynn; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
