Sheik Umar Khan Sheik Umar Khan (6 March 1975 – 29 July 2014) was the chief Sierra Leonean doctor attempting to curb the countrys Ebola outbreak in 2014.[3] Sheik Umar Khan Born 6 March 1975 Died 29 July 2014 (aged 39) Education Trained at Korle Bu[1] Known for Ebola isolation ward Medical career Profession Chief Medical Officer Research Lassa fever, Ebola The virologist is credited with treating over a hundred patients before succumbing to the virus himself. He was recognized as a national hero by Sierra Leones Health Ministry.[4]Khan had long worked with Lassa fever, a disease that kills over 5,000 a year in Africa. He had expanded his clinic to accept Ebola patients. Sierra Leones president, Ernest Bai Koroma, celebrated Khan as a national hero.[5] He had a habit of hugging the cured Ebola patients that were leaving his ward, to lift their spirits. Khan made contact with the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in 2010 when he came to Ghana to do his Residency. He was offered admission into the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons to undertake a 3-year residency training programme in internal medicine. As part of the training, he was posted to the Department of Medicine of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Death Khan was very meticulous in donning personal protective equipment as he treated patients.[7] Believing the virus unable to be transmitted in an airborne fashion, he worked fearlessly with Ebola virus patients. Despite observing recommended protocols, Khan was infected by the virus and died on 29 July 2014 in a facility run by Medecins Sans Frontieres.[9] He was not offered a dose of the experimental drug ZMapp though one was available.[10] Sierra Leonean president Ernest Bai Koroma had been due to visit his treatment center the following week. Awards and Honors On December 18, 2014, Khan was named one of Natures 10 people who mattered of 2014, along with Maryam Mirzakhani, Radhika Nagpal, and others. MAY GOD BLESS HIS SOUL
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 07:16:55 +0000
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