On Thursday Victor Willoughby, the chief doctor in the country of Sierra Leone, died of Ebola. The medicine that might have been helpful in saving him from the dreaded virus was already in the country.

About a week ago, Dr. Willoughby came in contact with a patient who was suffering with organ-related problems, but Ebola was not suspected at the time. The patient was a banker, and it was only later determined that Ebola was involved. That patient has since died.

Willoughby was near death when an Ebola drug was delivered to Sierra Leone. The drug came by aircraft, but it was delivered frozen. Before it could be thawed, the doctor’s condition worsened, and then he died. The drug – ZMab – was experimental and arrived via Brussels Airlines on an overnight flight.

The death of Willoughby brings the total number of doctors who have died from Ebola in Sierra Leone to 11. One other doctor had contracted the virus, but survived. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports as many as 142 other health workers in the country have been infected, and 109 of them have died from the often fatal disease.

The death of Willoughby is one that is sure to leave emptiness in the hearts of many other medical staff. He was greatly appreciated and other doctors often consulted with him, said the chief medical officer Brima Kargbo. He also said that his death is considered to be one of the most tragic to hit Sierra Leone. Others considered him to be a very good friend.

The efforts to combat the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone have proven to be rather insufficient. During the three weeks prior to Dec. 7, for instance, there were more than 1,000 new cases in the country.

A new outbreak occurred recently in the capital city of Freetown, which is also known as the Kona district, and the “diamond” district. Within a week, one hospital had 87 bodies waiting to be buried. When WHO officials arrived, they found that the hospital staff were greatly overworked and did not know how to safely treat patients for Ebola, or bury them.

Once it was known how serious the outbreak had become in the Kona district, and in order to stop it as quickly as possible, the government in Sierra Leone ordered quarantine on the entire district. As part of it, Christmas and New Year’s Eve public celebrations have all been canceled, a decision that is going to be enforced by the military. The people are allowed to go to church and work but places such as bars, nightclubs and theaters have all been closed. They are expected to go straight home after carrying out regular duties.

Sierra Leone continues to have the highest number of Ebola cases and deaths of the three Western African nations, which includes Guinea and Liberia. More than 50 people per day are buried in white plastic bags. The total count of those who succumbed to the dreaded virus is now at 6,915, reports WHO.

In all three of the infected countries it has been the practice of some who have loved ones who develop Ebola to hide them in their home and take care of them there. This has caused many more cases than necessary because family members also get the infection. It is also true in Sierra Leone. Because of it, the country’s President, Ernest Bai Koroma, has ordered a house-to-house search in the Kona district to find any cases not reported yet.