US doctor contracts Ebola as virus spreads

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Dr Kent Brantly, right, at work in his personal protective equipment.

Dr Kent Brantly, right, at work in his personal protective equipment. Photo: Reuters

Washington: Two Americans involved in the treatment of Ebola victims in Liberia have become infected with the West African epidemic.

As of July 20, the number of Ebola cases recorded in the months-long epidemic was 1093, including more than 660 deaths  in the worst outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever on record, according to the WHO.

Dr Kent Brantly, a former GP in Fort Worth, Texas, became the third senior doctor in less than a week to fall ill with the virus he was trying to treat in others. Dr Samuel Brisbane, from Liberia, died on Saturday at a clinic in the country’s capital, Monrovia.

Dr Kent Brantly, left, at work with an Ebola patient in Monrovia, Liberia.

Dr Kent Brantly, left, at work with an Ebola patient in Monrovia, Liberia. Photo: Reuters

Sierra Leone’s leading Ebola specialist, Dr Sheikh Umar Khan, also tested positive last week, and is being treated at a Medecins Sans Frontieres clinic. He is expected to survive.