A doctor who had been treating Ebola patients in his home country of Sierra Leone was brought to the United States when he contracted the illness. The doctor, Martin Salia died at Nebraska Medical Center, after his treatments failed.
Officials said that Salia was in critical condition upon his arrival.
Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the Biocontainment Unit at Nebraska Medical Center posted the following statement to the hospital’s Facebook page: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share this news. Dr. Salia was extremely critical when he arrived here, and unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we weren’t able to save him.”
Salia’s suffered from kidney and respiratory failure; he was given a variety of treatments including the drug ZMapp, which is still in the experimental stage as Ebola medication.
“We used every possible treatment available to give Dr. Salia every possible opportunity for survival. 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,” Smith said.
Salia’s wife, Isatu Salia, said she was grateful for the hospital’s work. “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.
Publication date: November 17, 2014
