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Karel Raška

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Karel Raška
Born(1909-11-17)November 17, 1909
Strašín, Czech Republic
DiedNovember 21, 1987(1987-11-21) (aged 78)
Prague, Czechoslovakia
Alma materCharles University
Known forSmallpox eradication
AwardsEdward Jenner Medal (1984)
Scientific career
InstitutionsInstitute of Epidemiology and Microbiology
World Health Organization

Karel Raška (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkarɛl ˈraʃka]; 17 November 1909 – 21 November 1987) was a Czech physician and epidemiologist, who headed the successful international effort during the 1960s to eradicate smallpox.

Early life

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Raška became Director of the WHO Division of Communicable Disease Control in 1963. His new concept of eliminating the disease was adopted by the WHO in 1967 and eventually led to the eradication of smallpox in 1977.[1] Raška was also a strong promoter of the concept of disease surveillance, which was adopted in 1968 and has since become a standard practice in epidemiology.[2]

At the end of World War II, together with epidemiologist František Patočka, he personally led measures to stop the spread of epidemic typhus in the Terezín concentration camp.[3]

Despite being respected abroad, Raška's contribution to eradicating smallpox was not appreciated in Communist Czechoslovakia. In 1970 he was removed from his position at the head of the Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology by communist authorities.[3] In 1972 he was forced to retire, and was even banned from entering the Institute premises.[4] The reason was a personal vendetta by the communist minister of health, Jaroslav Prokopec [cs], after Raška revealed that Prokopec had plagiarised his doctoral thesis.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Karel Raška and Smallpox" (PDF). Central European Journal of Public Health. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
  2. ^ "Karel Raška — The Development of Modern Epidemiology. The role of the IEA" (PDF). Central European Journal of Public Health. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Čech, který porazil neštovice. Komunisté ale epidemiologa Rašku o zásluhy připravili". ČT24 (in Czech). Czech Television. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  4. ^ Anděl, Michal (13 November 2020). "Jak jsme si zničili českou hygienickou a epidemiologickou školu, která měla svého času ve světě skvělé jméno". Deník N (in Czech). N Media. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
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