MD Siblings Remember Doctor Killed in Ebola Outbreak

A doctor fighting Africa’s ebola outbreak – only to succumb to the deadly virus – was remembered by his siblings in Prince George’s County on Sunday, and called a national hero by the president of Sierra Leone.

Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan, 39, died Tuesday after working to save hundreds in hard-hit Sierra Leon from the ebola virus sweeping West Africa. An estimated 700 people have died in that country since the outbreak began.

Two American health care workers from Samaritan’s Purse are being evacuated from Liberia to Georgia, where they will be treated in quarantine. Dr. Kent Brantly was transported Saturday to Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital, walking in a white, full-body protective suit into the hospital, CNN reports. Emory has said it will treat Brantly, 33, and fellow missionary Nancy Writebol in an isolation unit.

Four of Khan’s siblings live in the United States, and three of those four live in Prince George’s County. Hundreds of people attended a Beltsville memorial service to remember Khan.

“He knew he was risking his life,” his brother Alhajie Khan, told WJLA TV. “He was working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. All he was thinking was about helping people.”

Khan often visited America -- last coming to the DC area in May -- but he remained committed to the health of Sierra Leone. Family members say they were told a plane was waited three days to take Khan to Germany for treatment, but he was never able to leave Sierra Leone.

“He sent me an email,” his sister, Umu Khan, told WJLA. “It said, ‘it’s so hectic here. The ebola is taking over this place. I’m so busy.’”

Khan’s death followed that of prominent Liberian doctor Samuel Brisbane a few days earlier, BBC News reported. Ebola kills up to 90 percent of those infected, spreading through contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.

The outbreak began in Guinea in February, and then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

» Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan. Photo: ABC 7 screengrab