Google Celebrates Chickenpox Vaccine Inventor's Birthday With Doodle

Google is celebrating today the birthday of Japanese virologist Dr Michiaki Takahashi who is known for playing a significant role in medical science.

Dr Takahashi, who was born in Japan's Osaka in 1928, was the first to develop a vaccine against chickenpox in early 1974.

The latest Google Doodle has been illustrated by Tokyo-based artist Tatsuro Kiuchi.

Dr Takahashi's chickenpox vaccine, named "Oka", was accepted by the World Health Organization and has been widely used across the world. Dr Takahashi's vaccine is an effective measure to curb severe cases of contagious viral disease and its transmission. It has been administrated to millions of children across the world so far.

Dr Takahashi earned his medical degree from Osaka University and later got a chance to work as a researcher at the Osaka University's Research Institute for Microbial Disease in 1959. After studying measles and polioviruses, Dr Takahashi accepted a research fellowship in 1963 at Baylor College in the United States.

 It was during this time that his son developed a serious bout of chickenpox, leading him to turn his expertise toward combating the highly transmissible illness.

Dr Takahashi died of cardiac arrest on 16 December 2013.