FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone has lost a fourth doctor to Ebola after a failed effort to transfer her abroad for medical treatment, a government official said Sunday, a huge setback to the impoverished country that is battling the virulent disease amid a shortage of health care workers.
Dr. Olivet Buck died late Saturday, hours after the World Health Organization said it could not help medically evacuate her to Germany, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brima Kargbo confirmed to The Associated Press.
[seealso slug="australian-tested-ebola-virus"]
Sierra Leone had requested funds from WHO to transport Buck to Europe, saying the country could not afford to lose another doctor.
Our thoughts & prayers for the family & colleagues of PRIME Partner, Dr Olivet Buck #Hastings #SierraLeone #Ebola http://t.co/r4itIIpT0L— PRIME (@prime_network) September 15, 2014
“WHO is unable to organize evacuation of this doctor to [Germany] but is exploring all options on how to ensure best care,” said WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick patients, making doctors and nurses especially vulnerable to contracting the virus that has no vaccine or approved treatment.
More than 300 health workers have become infected with Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nearly half of them have died, according to WHO.
Scientists do not fully understand why some #Ebola patients recover and others succumb http://t.co/Iy2GJmdE7h— WHO (@WHO) September 12, 2014
The infections have exacerbated shortages of doctors and nurses in West African countries that were already low on skilled health personnel.
So far, only foreign health and aid workers have been evacuated abroad from Sierra Leone and Liberia for treatment.
Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan, Sierra Leone's top Ebola doctor, was being considered for evacuation to a European country when he died of the disease in late July.
On Tuesday, Barack Obama will travel to Atlanta to address the Ebola crisis during a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the White House said. During his visit, Obama is to be briefed about the outbreak and discuss the U.S. response with officials, the Associated Press reports.