Special Google Doodle to honour Dr Michiaki Takahashi, creator of the chickenpox vaccine

New Delhi: It has been proved that not all heroes wear a mask, some are also like Japanese virologist Dr Michiaki Takahashi who developed the first vaccine and saved millions of children worldwide from the deadly chickenpox, which was once considered deadly until now.

In honour of his 94th birth anniversary, google displayed a doodle illustrated by Tokyo artist Tatsuro Kiuchi yesterday, reports TOI. 

Dr Takahashi was born at Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan, on February 17, 1928. Dr Takahashi earned his Medical Degree in 1954 from Osaka University's Medical School, and completed in 1959 the Graduate Course of Medical Science, majoring in poxvirus virology.

After studying measles and polio viruses, Dr Takahashi accepted a research fellowship Between 1963 and 1965 at Baylor College of medicine in Texas and at the Fels Research Institute of Temple University, in Philadelphia.

The story behind the vaccine

The experience of watching his eldest son, Teruyuki, suffer from chickenpox while studying in the U.S. led him to begin the development of a chickenpox vaccine in 1971. The research was extremely difficult. After returning to Japan in 1965, Dr Takahashi began cultivating live, but weakened, chickenpox viruses in animals and humans to develop a vaccine. Finally, the vaccine was completed in 1973.

He developed the "Oka" vaccine by producing v-Oka, a live-attenuated virus strain of varicella zoster virus which has proven to be an effective measure to prevent severe cases of the viral disease and its transmission.

In 1984, the vaccine was certified by the WHO as the most suitable chickenpox vaccine, and in 1986, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare approved it for practical use in countries around the world and was adopted by over 80 countries.

Takahashi became the director of Osaka University's Microbial Disease Study Group in 1994. After retirement from Osaka University, he was given the title professor emeritus.

Unfortunately, he died on December 16, 2013, from heart failure at the age of 85.

Also read- Chickenpox Vaccine May Cause Eye Inflammation: Study