Ebola Doctor in Africa Dies as Drug Arrives

Leading Sierra Leone physician was about to get medicine from Canada
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 20, 2014 8:21 AM CST
Ebola Doctor in Africa Dies as Drug Arrives
A health care worker dons protective gear before entering an Ebola treatment center in Freetown, Sierra Leone.   (AP Photo/Michael Duff, FILE)

A physician described as Sierra Leone's leading Ebola doctor is dead after contracting the illness, reports the Guardian. If the news sounds familiar, it might be because of this depressing stat: Victor Willoughby, 67, is the 11th Sierra Leone doctor to die of the virus. His death has a particularly sad twist: An experimental drug from Canada called ZMab arrived at the airport Thursday for Willoughby, but he died before it could thaw and be administered, reports NBC News. "It's extremely depressing and frustrating," says a Freetown surgeon who knew Willoughby. "You can talk to someone today and tomorrow they are Ebola-infected." (More Sierra Leone stories.)

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