Surgeon Infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone Dies in Nebraska Hospital

Dr Martin Salia, 44, the doctor who caught the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone, passed away Monday in a Nebraska hospital.

The Nebraska Medical Center, where Dr Salia was being treated released a statement,  Dr. Martin Salia "has passed away as a result of the advanced symptoms of the disease," Hospital spokesman Taylor Wilson said.

Dr  Salia died a little after 4 a.m. Monday.  His body will be cremated, Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the biocontainment unit, said in a press conference, reports Fox News.

The doctor was flown to the Center on Wednesday where two more Ebola patients have been treated. The doctor was given the experimental ZMapp drug and even a plasma transfusion from an Ebola infected  patient, but nothing worked.

"Dr. Salia was extremely critical when he arrived here, and unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we weren't able to save him," Smith said

"We used every possible treatment available to give Dr. Salia every possible opportunity for survival," Smith said. "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."

Dr. Salia was a Sierra Leone citizen but a resident of United States. He lived in Maryland and is survived by his wife and two children.

Since the first Ebola case was reported back in March in Guinea this year, 5,000 people  have died from the contagious virus, the World Health Organization reported in its latest update. The agency claims that the number could be much higher as many cases go unreported and people try to hide the infection.