Ebola claims life of tenth doctor in Sierra Leone

Ebola claims life of tenth doctor in Sierra Leone

Ebola claims life of tenth doctor in Sierra Leone Another Sierra Leone doctor has died from Ebola, just a day after two other doctors had... 02:06

Ebola claims life of tenth doctor
in Sierra Leone
Another Sierra Leone doctor has died from Ebola,
just a day after two other doctors had succumbed
to the virus.
Dr Aiah Solomon Konoyeima, who worked for a
children's hospital in Freetown, is the tenth doctor
in the country to die from Ebola, reports AP.
That is higher than the overall fatality rate of 60%
in the recent outbreak.
The country's medical association representing
junior doctors met President Ernest Bai Koroma to
request better care and necessary life-saving
equipment for doctors.
The disease is spread through the bodily fluids of
people showing symptoms, placing doctors and
healthcare workers at maximum risk.
Almost 600 healthcare workers have been infected
in the West African nations during this epidemic,
and 324 of them have died.
More than 100 of these deaths have been in Sierra
Leone, according to the WHO.
The country has poor medical care and started
with just two physicians for every 100,000 people
at the beginning of the outbreak.
Ebola has infected over 17,500 people, mostly in
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Of those, almost
7,000 have died .
WHO had acknowledged last week that an increase
in Ebola cases in Sierra Leone meant the country
was running behind the target of 70% isolation and
70% safe burials. But the situation is improving
with the country able to isolate at least 60% of the
cases, reported AFP.
The WHO is now gearing up to meet a new target -
100% isolation of patients and 100% safe burials
by 1 January.