WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- A doctor who contracted the deadly disease of Ebola in Sierra Leone has died at the Nebraska Medical Center in the United States, the hospital said Monday.
Martin Salia, a native of Sierra Leone and a U.S. legal permanent resident, has passed away as a result of advanced symptoms of the disease, the hospital said in a statement.
"It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share this news," Phil Smith, medical director of the Biocontainment Unit at the Nebraska Medical Center said.
"Dr. Salia was extremely critical when he arrived here, and unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we weren't able to save him."
Salia was suffering from advanced symptoms of Ebola when he arrived at the hospital Saturday, which included kidney and respiratory failure, the hospital said.
He was placed on dialysis, a ventilator and multiple medications to support his organ systems in an effort to help his body fight the disease.
He also received a dose of convalescent plasma and ZMapp therapy was initiated on Saturday.
"We used every possible treatment available to give Dr. Salia every possible opportunity for survival," said Smith, "As we have learned, early treatment with these patients is essential. In Dr. Salia's case, his disease was already extremely advanced by the time he came here for treatment."
Isatu Salia, Salia's wife, said in a hospital statement that she was "very grateful for" the efforts of the hospital team.
"In the short time we spent here, it was apparent how caring and compassionate everyone was. We are so appreciative of the opportunity for my husband to be treated here and believe he was in the best place possible," she said.
Salia tested positive for the virus on Nov. 10. He was brought back to the U.S. hospital on Saturday.
Earlier this year, the Nebraska Medical Center, one of the four hospitals in the U.S. equipped to handle Ebola, has successfully treated two patients who contracted the virus in West Africa.
Eight of the previous nine Ebola patients treated in the United States survived. Only one, Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan, died of the virus.
Related:
UN Ebola mission official dies in Guinea
ACCRA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) here Monday announced the sudden death of Marcel Rudasingwa, Assistant Secretary- General and the Mission's Emergency Crisis Manager in Guinea.
A press statement received here by Xinhua said Rudasingwa, a Rwandan national, passed away suddenly from natural causes on Monday.Full Story
China calls for scale-up of assistance to Ebola-hit countries
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on the international community to double its efforts in tackling Ebola epidemic and scale up assistance to affected countries in West Africa.
At a General Assembly meeting on Ebola, Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said it is important that commitments already made be implemented "in a speedy manner" so that all the assistance can reach people in the affected areas as soon as possible.Full Story
|
