Karel Raška, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Karel Raška

Czech physician

Date of Birth: 17-Nov-1909

Place of Birth: Strašín, Plzeň Region, Czech Republic

Date of Death: 21-Nov-1987

Profession: physician, pedagogue, epidemiologist

Nationality: Czech Republic

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Karel Raška (Czech pronunciation: ['kar?l 'ra?ka]; 17 November 1909 – 21 November 1987) was a Czech physician and epidemiologist, who headed the successful international effort during the 1960s to eradicate smallpox. He was a Director of the WHO Division of Communicable Disease Control since 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.
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.He is a recipient of the Edward Jenner Medal awarded by the Royal Society of Medicine.