Prof. Dr. Ottó Rudnai (1917 - 1986)

He was an outstanding expert of the epidemiological theory and practice even in international level. He played a leading role in the practical epidemiology, in the training of upper and medium level of epidemiology experts and the professional public life for about a quarter of a century. In the course of his research activities, his major achievements covered mainly the field of dysenteria, poliomyelitis, salmonellosis and measles.

He was born on 14th February 1917 in Lovrin, Torontál County from where he moved as a child with his parents in Budapest.

His father worked as a medical officer, so the medical career for him was evident. He got his diploma at Pázmány Péter University of Budapest in 1943. He began to work at the Department of Epidemiology of the National Public Health Institute (NPHI) the same year, he became the colleague of Aladár Petrilla. He remained loyal to the profession chosen and also to the NPHI.

He made a splendid career from a fee-paid doctor to a national wide competent great authority, up to be a master of epidemiology (Prof. Dr. István Dömök) Egészségtudomány 37, 4-7 (1993).

He became Assistant Professor within one year and then Scientific Expert from 1950 and Head of Department from the beginning of the 60s. He was charged with the heading of the Department of Epidemiology-Microbiology in 1970, and he organized and managed the theoretical and practical tasks of the Hungarian public health and epidemiology as Director-General of the NPHI from 1975.

He retired on pension after 42 years of work in April 1985, but he was active as Professor and Head of Department until his death.

He died tragically early when he was only 69, on 2 September 1986.

His career began after the World War in a grave epidemiological situation of the country typhus, typhoid fever and other enteral diseases, diphtheria-caused epidemics - when a permanent and direct collaboration was necessary for responding to practical national and local problems. He had a unique possibility, while working with his master, Aladár Petrilla, to acquire in a unique and fast way the store of learning of the epidemiology and the related branches of science and the finesses of the epidemiological practice. These years were decisive for him for life in order to amalgam theory and practice.

The epidemiological process can not be examined separately, but only in its multiple contexts. It follows that epidemiology and epidemics can only be done in a complex way, in direct relation with all the branches of learning that aid to discover and recognize the factors influencing the epidemic process.  *

He got his specialization as medical officer and sports physician in 1948 and became qualified public health specialist in 1959 and that of tropical diseases in 1979. On the basis of getting in 1960 successfully his thesis for the doctors degree on The examination of some epidemiological particularities of poliomyelitis in Hungary he became a holder of a candidates degree in medicine.

In 1972 he became honorary associate professor. In 1975 he was elected college teacher by the Medical Training Institute and became the head of the Public Health - Epidemiology Surveyor specialization. From 1977 until his death he was the head of the Public Health - Epidemiology Chair, operating on the base of the NPHI.  His sphere of interest was very large. He was a veritable scientist and in the same time a practical professional.

His life was full of practicing, organizing and directing, researching and teaching of epidemiology.

His scientific work tightly colligated with the practical epidemiological work was of very large scale. Among the enteral infectious diseases he dealt more intensely with dysentheria, salmonellosis and poliomyelitis besides the typhoid fever.

To his name can be associated with the elaboration and introduction of the National Salmonella Surveillance Program; he organized and directed this work as its head until his death.

The sudden reappearance of the poliomyelitis epidemics in the 50-ies made him to analyze the Hungarian epidemiological characteristics of the disease in details, the total analytic review of the epidemics in 1957 and 1959, to calculate the practically zero efficiency (about 60%) of the inactivated polio virus vaccine used at that time, and after the spectacular successes with Sabin vaccine to call the attention to the activity necessary for holding on the results.

His idea held good also today: they have to pay a particular attention to the full completion of the vaccination because while the poliomyelitis can occur on Earth it can be imported in the country and in case of inadequate immunity the diseases can re-emerge again. It is an ancient human property that after the danger has gone we became more flighty wrote he. **

Among the infectious diseases spreading by a not enteral way, he paid a particular attention to measles and first of all to the specific prevention from the time that vaccination against measles  became possible at all.  He proposed changes in the vaccination schedule on the basis of the regular analyses of the epidemiological situation of measles.

In his publications and presentations he released a range of problems relating to several diseases or related epidemics.

His publications and presentations analyzing the epidemiological situation of the country were extremely important and determining in acting and taking measures. As head of the Department of Epidemiology of the NPHI he played a really leading role to manage and improve the epidemiological situation of the country.

His scientific activities were very widespread and his personality was determining in the colligating of practice and theory. This guiding principle was demonstrated in main parts of his 71 scientific publications and in most of his 132 scientific presentations, and besides his other teachings, in 18 books, chapters and also 8 notes wrote by him.

He began teaching from the beginning of his career.

He was asked to be a teacher of the Health Officer course already in 1948. In 1955, he became the operative head of these training courses, later called the Public Health Epidemiology and Hygiene Medicine courses, and he assured the organization and direction of the professional branch with partial responsibility for it from 1960 and entirely from 1977.

The Public Health Epidemiology Controller Department of the Health College Faculty of the Medical Postgraduate Training University (MTU) was set up by his plans and start up by his nomination as college teacher and director of institute in 1975. This sphere of activity was left by him when he became acting head of the Public Health and Epidemiology Faculty of the MTU, and he served this function as a full professor of this Faculty from 1978 until his death.

The most important value of his oeuvre is that he passed his knowledge to others; the hygiene-epidemiological approaches of generation of nurses, maternity nurses, public health and epidemiology officers, laboratory technicians, hygiene specialist were modeled by him. His wisdom resulting from his unsurpassed preparedness, his large practical experiences, his professional opinion marked a whole area.

For recognizing his activities he was decorated Merited Doctor in 1963, Excellent Doctor in 1968, silver grade of Merit of Work in 1972 and gold grade of Merit of Work in 1982. He was elected to be the corresponding member of the East-German Gesellschaft für Seuchenschutz (DDR) in 1973.

His oeuvre was acknowledged by a Fodor József Award by the Association of Hungarian Hygienists 1971, and by a Gerlóczy Zsigmond Memorial  Award Medallion by the Hungarian Association of Infectology in 1984.

His memory is treasured by a memorial tablet at the site of his activity in the building of the NPHI/NCE, and the NCE founded an award in his honor (Rudnai Award) in 2003 in order to decorate young graduate experts reaching outstanding results at an annual award celebration.

Dr. Márta Melles
Director General

Publications of Prof. Dr. Ottó Rudnai

*Rudnai O.: Magyarország járványügyi helyzetének alakulása a felszabadulás óta. Az OKI működése 1965. évben, 217-228. Budapest (1967).
**Rudnai O.: A fontosabb enterális fertőző betegségek járványügyi helyzete Magyarországon és az ellenük való küzdelem gyakorlati vonatkozásai. Egészségügyi Munka, 12, 99-104 (1965)