Sierra Leonean doctor dies from Ebola

A children's hospital doctor in Sierra Leone has become the 10th doctor from the country to die from Ebola.

Another Sierra Leonean doctor has died from Ebola, the 10th to succumb to the disease.

Dr Aiah Solomon Konoyeima died on Saturday, according to Chief Medical Officer Dr Brima Kargbo.

His death came a day after two other doctors died from Ebola, emphasising the tremendous toll the disease has taken on health care workers.

Konoyeima worked at a children's hospital in the capital and tested positive for Ebola about two weeks ago.

He was treated at the Hastings Ebola Treatment Centre, which is staffed exclusively by Sierra Leonean medical personnel, as compared to many other treatment units, which are run by international organisations or employ some foreign staff.

Because Ebola is transmitted through the bodily fluids of the sick and dead, it is sometimes called the "caretakers' disease".

Hundreds of health workers have been infected in this outbreak.

In the current outbreak, Ebola has sickened more than 17,500 people, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Of those, about 6200 have died. It is currently spreading fastest in Sierra Leone.


Share
1 min read

Published

Updated


Tags

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Sierra Leonean doctor dies from Ebola | SBS News