In 1963, scientist swabbed his daughter’s throat; her virus strain led to a mumps vaccine in 1967

In 1963, scientist Maurice Hilleman collected a mumps virus sample from his five-year-old daughter Jeryl Lynn. Researchers weakened the virus to develop a vaccine, which was approved in 1967. The vaccine, based on the Jeryl Lynn strain, remains in use and helped transform the fight against mumps in the US.