The Google Doodle is illustrated by Tokyo-Japan based guest artist Tatsuro Kiuchi. In 1974, Dr. Michiako Takahashi developed the first vaccine against varicella virus, the virus that causes chickenpox.
(Photo:-Google)
Google Doodle on february 17 celebrates the 94th birth anniversary of Dr. Michiako Takahashi. He was the japanese virologist, who created the first vaccine against chickenpox. His lifesaving vaccine was used in over 80 countries.
The Google Doodle is illustrated by Tokyo-Japan based guest artist Tatsuro Kiuchi. In the doodle, Dr. Takahashi can be seen researching through his microscope and putting a band-aid on a child’s arm.
Dr. Michiako Takahashi was born in 1928 in Osaka, Japan. He completed his medical degree in Osaka University and joined the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University in 1959.
He studied the measles and polio virus and after that he accepted a Research fellowship at Baylor College in the United States in 1963. When his contracted to chickenpox, he gained his expertise toward combating the highly transmissible illnesses.
In 1965, Dr. Takahashi returned to Japan and began culturing live but weakened chickenpox viruses in animals and human tissues. It was ready for clinical trials just after five short years of development.
In 1974, he developed the first vaccine against varicella virus, the virus that causes chickenpox. It subsequently proved extremely effective for the immunosuppressed patients. “In 1986, the Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University began the rollout in Japan as the only varicella vaccine approved by the World Health Organisation,” Google wrote.
Dr. Takahashi was appointed the director of Osaka University’s Microbial Diseases Study Group in 1994 – he held this position until his retirement. He died due to heart failure in 2013 aged 85.
“Takahashi’s vaccine has since been administered to millions of children around the world as an effective measure to prevent severe cases of the contagious viral disease and its transmission,” Google wrote. Due to his innovations millions of cases of chickenpox are prevented each year.
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