The rubella vaccine

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Who

Stanley Plotkin, an American physician raised in a Jewish family, developer of the RA 27/3 rubella vaccine.

When

1969

Where

Philadelphia, USA (Wistar Institute)

Rubella (German measles) can cause severe birth defects when caught during pregnancy. In the 1960s Stanley Plotkin developed the RA 27/3 vaccine strain, which became the world standard and is still used in the MMR vaccine, preventing countless cases of congenital rubella syndrome. Plotkin, raised in a Jewish family in New York, is one of the most honored vaccinologists of his time.

Sources

Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.