William Close

He served President Mobutu Sese Seko as his personal doctor and was chief physician of the nation's army.

In the mid-1970s, the Ebola virus broke out at a missionary hospital in rural Yambuku, near the Ebola River. The disease, which was characterized by severe sore throat, rash, abdominal pain and bleeding from multiple sites, had killed 11 of the 17 medical staff at the hospital, forcing it to close. Panic was in the air, with roads blocked, river traffic stopped and commercial air travel restricted. The army would not enter the area and President Mobutu was said to have left the country and fled to France, in the face of fears that the disease could spread to others as those infected with the disease tried to escape the center of the outbreak.

On his way back home to the United States for a home leave, Dr. Close returned to Kinshasa from Geneva, discussing the issue on the flight with two physicians from the Centers for Disease Control, Joel G. Breman and Peter Piot, who discovered the Ebola virus. Back in Zaire, Close obtained planes and pilots from the Ministry of Health to transport medical equipment to the affected area, using his personal connection to President Mobutu to obtain the access he needed. Close coordinated efforts in the area, ensuring that medical supplies were directed to where they were needed most. After providing protective equipment for hospital workers, sterilizing medical supplies and quarantining patients, the team was able to break the chain of transmission of the virus, with almost 90% of the 318 people infected left dead. Read Less