A doctor from Sierra Leone who was leading the fight to battle the deadly Ebola virus outbreak there has died from the disease, officials in that country said.
Dr. Sheik Umar Khan died at a Doctors Without Borders facility in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, said Dr. Brima Kargbo, chief medical officer of the country’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times by phone, Kargbo said Khan had died Tuesday afternoon.
He was the latest casualty in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which is the largest recorded, killing more than 670 people and sickening hundreds more since March, according to the World Health Organization.
Doctors Without Borders released a statement, saying the organization is “deeply saddened” by the death of Khan, who was hailed a national hero by the government and had treated more than 100 patients.
This month, three nurses working alongside Khan died of Ebola, but he continued to work.
