The doctor leading the
fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone is now being treated for the deadly
virus, a statement from the presidency has said.
Sheik Umar Khan tested positive and has been admitted to hospital in Kailahun, the epicentre of the outbreak.
More than 630 people have died of Ebola in the three West African states since the outbreak began in Guinea in February.
It is the world's deadliest outbreak to date and there is no cure for Ebola.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's largest and It kills up to 90% of those infected but if patients receive early treatment, they have a better chance of survival.It spreads through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.
The statement from State House said that the minister of health was in tears when she heard the news about Dr Khan.
WHO: Latest West Africa Ebola outbreak figures
- Guinea - 310 deaths, 410 cases
- Liberia - 116 deaths, 196 cases
- Sierra Leone - 206 deaths, 442 cases
The Ebola cases in Sierra Leone are centred in the country's eastern districts of Kailahun and Kenema.
The BBC's Umaru Fofana
in the capital, Freetown, says dozens of nurses at the government
hospital in Kenema town - which treats all Ebola cases in the district -
went on strike on Monday following the death of three of their
colleagues of suspected Ebola.
But they have since
suspended their sit-down strike as the government looks into their
demands, which include the relocation of the Ebola ward from the
hospital and the takeover of its operations by the medical charity
Medecins Sans Frontieres.
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