Top Ebola doctor Sheik Umar Khan was diagnosed with the same disease he was trying to cure in Sierra Leone, adding to the increasing number of medical staff who caught the disease while trying to impede its spread across West Africa.

According to a statement released on Tuesday, the virologist was admitted to a high containment facility earlier this week after he caught the deadly virus after treating over 100 Ebola patients.

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More than 600 people have died from the disease in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since February and continue to take victims despite international efforts to impede the outbreak.

The 39-year-old doctor is one of many health workers who have acquired the disease despite being covered in full protective gear.

During last month's interview with Reuters, Khan admitted that he installed mirrors in his office at the facility in Kenema so he can make sure his protective suit had no opening or is not ripped before he treats his patients. He was afraid for his own life.

"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," he told Reuters correspondents.

Khan was dubbed as a "national hero" by Health Minister Miatta Kargbo who vowed to do everything in her power to ensure his survival.

Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 12 show that almost 1,000 West Africans have contracted the disease with 603 fatalities since the outbreak began in February.

After just four days, latest figures from the organization on Saturday revealed 19 more deaths and 67 new Ebola cases.

So far, no cure or vaccine against the Ebola virus have been developed which has a disturbingly low survival rate at 10 percent.

TagsEbola Virus, Sierra Leone, West Africa, Sheik Umar Khan