Opinions: Sierra Leone’s crisis deepens as doctors die of Ebola

WASHINGTON POST OP-ED by Claudena Skran                                                                      Dec. 20, 2014

No evacuation plane to the United States or Europe awaited Dr. Thomas Rogers in early December when he fell ill with the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone.

Instead, the highly trained physicianstruggled to be admitted to one of the few Ebola treatment centers in the West African country. After finally securing a bed, Rogers died on Dec. 5 , sharing the tragic course of the Ebola epidemic with his countrymen.

With the death of Rogers, nearly 10 percent of Sierra Leone’s doctors have perished from Ebola since the epidemic started in March. Among them are Olivet Buck, one of the country’s few female physicians, and Sheik Humarr Khan, who led the initial response to Ebola. Their deaths are not just personal tragedies for family and loved ones but also a tragedy for the country in its fight against Ebola and other health problems.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/sierra-leones-crisis-deepens-as-doctors-die-of-ebola/2014/12/16/8e9735b2-8540-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html