Sheik Umar Khan, a leading doctor fighting Ebola, dies from the disease

Sheik Umar Khan, a leading doctor fighting Ebola, dies from the disease
(Image credit: Twitter.com/Reuters)

Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, the most prominent physician working with Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, died Tuesday from the disease. He was 39.

The news was confirmed by the country's chief medical officer. "It is a big and irreparable loss to Sierra Leone as he was the only specialist the country had in viral hemorrhagic fevers," Dr. Brima Kargbo said. The Independent reports that Khan contracted the disease last week, and was in quarantine. Before falling ill, he had treated more than 100 patients at a Kenema hospital.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.