Ebola outbreak: Sierra Leone doctor dies in US

17 November 2014 Last updated at 14:29

Dr Salia, seen here in 2013, had been working in Freetown in Sierra Leone

A surgeon from Sierra Leone who was being treated for Ebola in the US has died, a Nebraska hospital announced.

Martin Salia, who has US residency and is married to an American, arrived for treatment in the state on Saturday.

But on Monday morning the Nebraska Medical Center said the 44-year-old had died. He was the second person to die from the virus in the US.

More than 5,000 people have died in the current Ebola outbreak - almost all of them in West Africa.

Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan died in Dallas last month after coming to the US to visit relatives.

"We are extremely sorry to announce that the third patient we've cared for with the Ebola virus, Dr Martin Salia, has passed away as a result of the advanced symptoms of the disease," said the hospital in a statement.

Dr Martin Salia was transported to a Nebraska medical facility on Saturday

He was extremely ill, in a critical condition, when he arrived, said Dr Phil Smith, medical director of the biocontainment unit.

"And unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we weren't able to save him," he added.

Dr Salia's wife, Isatu Salia, said she was appreciative of the treatment her husband had received at the US facility.

He had worked as a general surgeon at Kissy United Methodist Hospital in the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown.

It is not known whether he was involved in the care of Ebola patients.

He was suffering from advanced symptoms, including kidney and respiratory failure, when he landed on US soil and was taken to the hospital in Omaha.

Two other Ebola patients were successfully treated at the unit, which is one of only a handful of specialist treatment centres in the US.

The original post fund here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30085116