Victor Willoughby, Sierra Leone’s foremost Ebola physician has been confirmed dead after contracting the deadly infectious disease.
Brima Kargbo, Sierra Leone’s chief medical officer said Willoughby died earlier today just a few days after he tested positive for Ebola.
The death of Willoughby makes it the 11th doctor in the country to die from the disease that is currently ravaging Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.
“The death of Dr. Victor Willoughby, who tested positive for Ebola on Saturday, was a major loss for Sierra Leone,” said Kargbor.
He added that “Dr. Victor Willoughby was a mentor to us physicians and a big loss to the medical profession.”
Kargbor said the diseased was always available to help junior colleagues revealing that the 67-year-old died just hours after an experimental drug arrived in the country for him.
He stated that the arrival of ZMAb, developed in Canada, had raised hopes for Willoughby’s survival. But he died before a dose could be administered on him.
Report says ZMAb is related to ZMapp, another experimental drug that has been used to treat some Ebola patients though the drugs’ efficacy in treating Ebola is yet to be proven.
It would be recalled that the dreaded EVD infection has taken a spectacular toll on health workers, killing more than 350, ranging from doctors and nurses in affected countries.
Ebola is spread by bodily fluids, it is only transmitted through close contact. It is often called the “caregivers’ disease” because those infected are typically family members caring for the sick or health workers treating them.
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