An American doctor who was working to control the deadly tropical virus Ebola has caught the disease himself in Liberia, testing positive for the virus, an aid organization said Saturday. The deadly disease has killed 672 in several African countries since the outbreak began earlier this year.
Dr. Kent Brantly, the medical director for the aid organization's case management center in the city, was confirmed to have tested positive for the disease and was being treated at a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, North Carolina-based Samaritan's Purse issued a news release statement.
Known to be highly contagious and one of the most deadly diseases in the world, pictures of Brantly showed him to be working in Liberia in white coveralls made of a synthetic material that he wore for hours a day while treating Ebola patients, the Associated Press reported.
Brantly, 33, has been working with Samaritan's Purse in Liberia since October 2013 as part of the charity's post-residency program for doctors, said the group's spokeswoman Melissa Strickland. The organization's website stated he had worked as a family practice physician in Fort Worth, Texas.
Earlier this year, he was quoted in a posting on the organization's website about his efforts to maintain an isolation ward for patients. "The hospital is taking great effort to be prepared," Brantly said. "In past Ebola outbreaks, many of the casualties have been healthcare workers who contracted the disease through their work caring for infected individuals."
Brantly's wife and children had been living with him in Africa, but they are currently in the United States, Strickland said.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the head doctor, Sheik Umar Khan, who was leading the fight to control Ebola had caught the disease himself in Sierra Leone. Hailed as "national hero," he was credited with treating more than 100 Ebola victims and transferring them to a treatment ward run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. Additionally, three nurses working alongside Khan in the same Ebola treatment center died from the disease three days ago, according to Reuters.
