Surgeon Martin Salia Dies From Ebola, Second Ebola Death In U.S.

According to the Associated Press, Dr. Martin Salia died from Ebola in the bio-containment unit of a Nebraska hospital at 4 AM, Monday. The doctor initially caught the disease while working in his native country, Sierra Leone.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Martin Salia was working with ebola patients in West Africa until he finally contracted the disease himself. The 44-year-old surgeon was brought back to the United States, being a legal permanent resident of Maryland, and treated in the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Martin Salia was working in the Kissy United Methodist Hospital in Sierra Leone’s capital of Freetown, as well as a few other facilities.

Yahoo News reported that he was relatively sicker than any of the other Ebola patients in the U.S.

As Dr. Phil Smith, director of the medical containment unit, explained, “Dr. Salia was extremely critical when he arrived here, and unfortunately, despite out best efforts, we weren’t able to save him.”

The medical center hosted two other Ebola patients, both of whom completely recovered from the disease. However, Martin Salia was already in an advanced state according to Dr. Smith.

“We used every possible treatment available to give Dr. Salia every possible opportunity for survival. As we have learned, early treatment with these patients is essential. In Dr. Salia’s case, his disease was already extremely advanced by the time he came here for treatment.”

The late treatment was due in part to an erroneous diagnosis on the November 6th that said Dr. Salia did not have Ebola. He tested positive four days later, but by then the disease had taken hold.

Martin Salia was the 10th patient with Ebola to be treated in the U.S. He is also the second person to die from the disease in America, the first being Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national who was being treated in Texas. Like Salia, Duncan was misdiagnosed early on, only to test positive two days later.

Martin Salia’s wife, Isatu Salia, told the AP in an interview that she had the opportunity to speak with her husband on Friday, but his voice already sounded weak. He still managed to tell her he loved her.

Dr. Salia had two children, age 12 and 20, that are now in mourning for their father.

Ebola has killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa. Despite the best efforts of doctors like Martin Salia the disease continues to wreck havoc and take lives.