Description:
(She died from Ebola virus disease during the 1976 epidemic in Zaïre) Mayinga N'Seka was a dedicated nurse in Zaïre, now Democratic Republic of the Congo, who tragically fell victim to the Ebola virus during the 1976 epidemic. She worked at Mbalad Hospital in Kinshasa and contracted the virus while caring for a Roman Catholic nun who had come for treatment. Mayinga's involvement in treating the nun highlighted the lack of understanding surrounding the highly infectious disease at the time. Her blood sample, known as Ebola virus variant Mayinga, has since been instrumental in research on the Ebola virus worldwide.
