Walter Plowright facts for kids

Walter Plowright was a British scientist who studied animals. He spent his whole career working to get rid of a serious cattle disease called rinderpest. He won the World Food Prize in 1999. This was for creating a special vaccine that helped wipe out rinderpest. It was the first animal disease ever to be completely removed from the world!

Walter Plowright was born in Holbeach, England, in 1923. He went to Moulton Grammar School and later Spalding Grammar School. He then studied to become a veterinarian. He graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in London in 1944. After that, he joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.

Fighting Rinderpest

As a young scientist, Walter Plowright worked in Kenya and Nigeria. He was based at the East African Veterinary Research Organization in Muguga, Kenya. Here, he and his team worked on a big problem: rinderpest.

Rinderpest was a deadly disease that affected cattle. It caused many animals to die, which was a huge problem for farmers and food supplies. Scientists had already developed a vaccine for polio in humans. Plowright and his colleagues used similar methods to create a vaccine for rinderpest.

Developing the Vaccine

Plowright used a special method called "cell culture." He grew the rinderpest virus in kidney cells. As the virus grew in these cells, it became weaker. This weaker virus was then used to make a vaccine.

This new vaccine was called the tissue culture rinderpest vaccine (TCRV). It was very important because:

• It was safe to use in all types of cattle.
• It was cheap to make, so many animals could get it.
• It gave cattle lifelong protection against rinderpest.

The success of Plowright's vaccine was a huge step forward. It meant that rinderpest could finally be stopped.

Wider Impact

The methods Plowright used to fight rinderpest were also helpful for other diseases. His colleagues later used similar techniques to create vaccines for sheeppox and lumpy skin disease. This showed how important his research was for animal health around the world.

Later Career

In 1964, Walter Plowright returned to the United Kingdom. He continued to work on animal disease research. From 1971 to 1978, he led the microbiology and parasitology department at the Royal Veterinary College. He also worked at the Institute for Animal Health in Compton, Berkshire. He retired in 1983.

Besides rinderpest, Plowright also studied other animal viruses. These included African swine fever, malignant catarrhal fever, poxviruses, and herpesviruses.

Awards and Recognition

Walter Plowright received many important awards for his work. He was given a Fellowship of the Royal Society of London. He also received the Order of St Michael and St George.

Some of his other awards include:

• The World Organisation for Animal Health's Gold Medal.
• The Animal Health Trust’s Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award.
• The King Baudouin International Development Prize in 1984-1985.
• The World Food Prize in 1999, which recognized his key role in eradicating rinderpest.

Walter Plowright passed away in London in 2010. His work saved countless animals and helped many communities.