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| Dr. Martin Salia of Sierra Leone succumbed to the Ebola virus on Monday morning |
A West African surgeon, who contracted the deadly Ebola virus in his native Sierra Leone and was flown to Omaha for treatment, received aggressive treatment at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) over the weekend but died Monday morning.
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| The medical director of UNMC's Biocontainment Unit did not have good news to report on Monday when Dr. Martin Salia succumbed to Ebola virus |
Dr. Martin Salia's death is a reminder of just how deadly the Ebola virus is and how important it is to receive treatment as soon as possible, said Dr. Jeff Gold, chancellor of the UNMC in Omaha.
"In the very advanced stages, even the modern techniques we have at our disposal are not enough to help these patients once they reach a critical threshold," Gold said at a news conference announcing the medical center’s first fatality from Ebola.
Salia, 44, was diagnosed with the virus Nov. 6, 2014. By the time he was flown to Omaha for treatment on Saturday, he was in already in an advanced stages of shock in critical condition with no kidney function and in severe respiratory distress.
He was placed on dialysis and intubated on a ventilator, and was given several supportive medications to support his failing organ systems, the hospital said in a statement.
