Karel Raška

Who is Karel Raška?

Karel Raška 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.