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Top Ebola Doctor in Sierra Leone Contracts Virus
CBS News ^ | July 23, 2014 | JESSICA FIRGER

Posted on 07/23/2014 5:09:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway

A physician at the helm of Sierra Leone's efforts to contain and control the Ebola epidemic has just been diagnosed with the virus, according to reports from Reuters and the BBC.

Sheik Umar Khan, a virologist, has treated more than 100 patients with the deadly disease and was admitted earlier this week to a high containment treatment facility, according to a statement released on Tuesday by the government. A source inside the ward told Reuters that the doctor is receiving treatment, though no details were given on his current state of health.

Health Minister Miatta Kargbo called Khan a "national hero" and said she would "do anything and everything in my power to ensure he survives," Reuters reports.

Khan, 39 years old, is one of many health care workers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone who has contracted the disease as a result of firsthand involvement. Though health workers in the region are required to be thoroughly covered in protective gear, many who are tending to the ill have contracted the virus. A BBC reporter at a clinic in Freetown in Sierra Leone said dozens of nurses at a government hospital went on strike on Monday after three health care works died from suspected Ebola infections.

Play VIDEO Face to face with deadliest Ebola outbreak ever In June, Khan told Reuters that he had installed a mirror in his office at the clinic in Kenema so he could check to be sure there weren't any holes in the back of his protective gear before he entered the treatment facility to care for patients. "I am afraid for my life, I must say, because I cherish my life," he told the reporter from Reuters. "Health workers are prone to the disease because we are the first port of call for somebody who is sickened by disease. Even with the full protective clothing you put on, you are at risk."

Play VIDEO Ebola outbreak strikes West Africa As of July 12, there have been 964 incidences of Ebola and 603 deaths due virus in this area of West Africa since the outbreak first emerged in February, according to the World Health Organization. The virus has maintained a stronghold on the region because of the insufficient borders that separate the three countries. Experts say this current outbreak is the largest in the history. In April, Michel Van Herp, an epidemiologist for the aid group, Doctors Without Borders, predicted the Ebola outbreak would develop into an epidemic on an unprecedented scale.

There currently is no cure or vaccine for Ebola, which has less than a 10 percent survival rate.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ebola; health; medicine; sierraleone
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To: Yaelle
Get a blood test if you want. Your levels should be over 60 and you won’t get sick much, even if exposed.

Please provide links to the peer-reviewed, published research that shows that.

41 posted on 07/24/2014 12:20:04 AM PDT by steve86 ( Acerbic by nature, not nurture)
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To: nickcarraway
Prayers for Sheik Umar Khan. His selflessness and dedication to treating those with a horrific infliction has resulted in him being struck down himself by the very same nightmare. I pray he survives, develops immunity and can continue his mission of healing.
42 posted on 07/24/2014 5:41:06 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: doug from upland

Thanks doug! I look forward to you next song!


43 posted on 07/24/2014 6:18:37 AM PDT by The Sons of Liberty (I want 0bama to make history - First to be IMPEACHED and REMOVED!)
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To: steve86

Please provide links to the peer-reviewed, published research that shows that.


Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!

Who’s gonna pay for such a study?

It doesn’t hurt to have adequate D, so why not try?


44 posted on 07/24/2014 4:44:18 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Yaelle
Who’s gonna pay for such a study?

NIH, most likely.

It doesn’t hurt to have adequate D

Same argument can be used to load up on every other quack recommendation as long as it isn't harmful. This is not a valid reason, in itself, to ingest a supplement in quantities beyond nutritional and synthesized content.

so why not try?

I haven't told anyone to not take supplemental D3 and I take it myself.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!

Can't get over your analytic ability and charm.

Your comments reek of insincerity, cynicism, bombast, and anti-scientific bias.

45 posted on 07/24/2014 6:58:16 PM PDT by steve86 ( Acerbic by nature, not nurture)
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