The chief doctor in the fight against the Ebola in Sierra Leone has himself contracted the deadly virus and is being treat, according to the President’s office.  He’s one of the latest patients in the deadliest Ebola outbreak in recorded history.

“I am afraid for my life, I must say, because I cherish my life,” said 39-year-old Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, showing no signs of ill health at the time of the interview.  “Health workers are prone to the disease because we are the first port of call for somebody who is sickened by disease.  Even with the full protective clothing you put on, you are at risk.”

Khan’s team would know.  Three nurses who worked alongside Khan in the same Ebola treatment center died of the disease.  They’re some of the more than 600 people wh have died in this outbreak, which is so far contained to the West African nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea where it started.

Sierra Leone says Khan is a “national hero”.  Health Minister Miatta Kargbo says she would “do anything and everything in my power to ensure he survives”.  Khan is a virologist credited with treating more than 100 Ebola victims; but now, he has been transferred to a treatment ward run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders.

Ebola has no vaccine nor cure, and it’s easily spread by bodily fluids, which is why healthcare workers are especially at risk.