Dr. Michiaki Takahashi Born on 17th February, 1928, in Japan's Osaka was a Japanese Virologist Known for his important contribution in medicine. He developed the first vaccine for chickenpox virus, in 1974.
In Japan, Dr. Michiaki Takahashi successfully developed the first live attenuated varicella vaccine in the world. The virus used for this vaccine was varicella-zoster virus isolated from the vesicular fluid of a child with typical varicella and it was named the Oka strain after the family name of the child.
This vaccine was approved in Japan in 1986, and voluntary single-dose vaccination for children aged 1 year or older was started in 1987.
Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV). It’s very rare to have the chickenpox infection more than once. And since the chickenpox vaccine was introduced in the mid-1990s, cases have declined.
An itchy rash is the most common symptom of chickenpox. The infection will have to be in your body for around seven to 21 days before the rash and other symptoms develop. You start to be contagious to those around you up to 48 hours before the skin rash starts to occur.
The chickenpox vaccine is recommended for all children under age 13 who have not had chickenpox. It is also recommended for all adolescents and adults who have not been vaccinated and have not had chickenpox.
The MMR vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles). The first dose is generally given to children around 9 months to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to 6 years of age, with at least 4 weeks between the doses.