Lead doctor in Sierra Leone`s Ebola fight tests positive

Dr Shiekh Umar Khan

Sad news in Sierra Leone! Reporting coming out of Kenema that the man who is leading the country`s battle against the Ebola outbreak has himself tested positive for the virus has really touched nerves.

Dr Sheikh Umar Khan is head of the Lassa Fever program and lead expert in viral hemorrhagic fevers in the country.

The Lassa Fever Center which accommodates the only testing facility for Ebola in Sierra Leone is housed at the Kenema Government Hospital in the east of the country. It`s at the center of protest by nurses who want it relocated.

The ministry of Health and Sanitation Tuesday asked for prayers for his speedy recovery.

Dr Khan has been in charge of the center located at the headquarter town of Kenema for about 10 years and fell ill after personally treating over 100 patients with the Ebola since the outbreak in May, the ministry said.

He was taken to the second treatment center in Kailahun, which is run by MSF.

Health minister, Miatta Kargbo, personally confirmed the news of Dr Khan`s health status and described him as

a “national hero” and vowed to see that he gets cured.

But already, the authorities are struggling against persistent rumor on social media that he `s died.

"He made the ultimate sacrifice by putting his own life on the line to treat and save Sierra Leoneans of the Ebola virus. Dr Khan treated and discharged more than 100 Sierra Leoneans of the deadly Ebola virus. By going into that treatment Center and spending more than 12 hours daily just to save lives is a tremendous sacrifice. I will do anything and everything in my power to ensure he survives," the minister said.

The virologist once famously said that his biggest problem was getting people to accept that the disease exists. And campaigners now hope his tragic situation could serve to change the minds of those still in denial.

143 people have died so far with 422 cases, as per the count of the Ministry of Health. But WHO put the numbers a little higher at 206 deaths and 442 cases.

Guinea and Liberia are also battling the illness, but the pressure is presently on Sierra Leone and Liberia and the two country`s are planning a meeting to discuss how to attack the issue at their common borders.

News of Dr Khan`s illness added fuel to fire within an already chaotic health system.

It comes a day after the death of three nurses in one day and rekindled debate over availability of protective gears for healthcare workers at the center of the Ebola fight.

100 nurses working at the Ebola center in Kenema Monday abandoned the Ebola ward leaving patients by themselves. They accused the government of poorly managing the outbreak.

Even antibiotics are hard to come by, the nurses` claimed.

The main hospital ward is itself virtually empty as residents of the town have stopped visiting for fear of contracting Ebola. And this has raised further concern with fears that Ebola patients might resolve to seek treatment at home.

The government Tuesday said it was down scaling its presence at the hospital for eventual relocation of the Ebola ward in line with the nurses` demand.

The Ebola isolation ward in Kailahun, in contrast, has recorded zero death for healthcare workers, which explains why the striking nurses asked that the French charity, MSF, takes over control of the Kenema ward.

The latest development has also mounted pressure on the government to declare national health emergency.

A campaign has also been launched on social media urging President Ernest Bai Koroma to cancel a planned US trip and visit the infected eastern district.