Maybe many of you don't hear the name of Roald Dahl, however it is very possible that you do know his works, because this British writer is the author of works as famous as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches Y James and the Giant Peach, among other.
Dahl devoted much of his life to writing stories for the boys and was the father of two girls and a boy, with whom he was not too lucky. In 1960, the youngest of the three, Theo, was hit by a taxi when he was in his cart, suffering serious injuries that caused hydrocephalus. Two years later, in November 1962, his daughter Olivia died after catching measles and Dahl, a few years later, decided to write a letter in defense of vaccines that you can read next.
The letter was written in 1986, still very aware of the death of his daughter, a fact that, it is said, never managed to overcome:
SARAMPIÓN: A dangerous disease, by Roald Dahl
Olivia, my oldest daughter, caught measles when she was 7 years old. While the disease was on its usual course I remember reading it often while I was in bed and not feeling particularly alarmed. One morning, while he was well on his way to recover, he was sitting on his bed showing him how to create little animals with colored cleaning brushes, and when it was his turn to make one, I realized that his fingers and his mind were not coordinated and I couldn't do anything. "Are you all right?" I asked. "I'm sleepy," he replied. An hour later I was unconscious. Twelve hours later I was dead. Measles had become a terrible thing called measles encephalitis and there was nothing doctors could do to save it. That was 24 years ago, in 1962, but even now, if a child with measles develops the same deadly reaction as Olivia, there is still nothing that doctors can do to help him. On the other hand, there is something parents can do to make sure that this kind of tragedy does not happen to their children. They can insist that their children be immunized against measles. I could not do it for Olivia in 1962 because at that time an effective measles vaccine had not yet been discovered. Today there is a safe and effective vaccine available to all families and all you have to do is ask your doctor to administer it. It is still not generally accepted that measles can be a dangerous disease. Believe me, it is. In my opinion, parents who now reject their children being immunized are putting their lives in danger. In the United States, where measles vaccination is mandatory, both measles and smallpox have been virtually eradicated. Here in Britain, where many parents reject, whether out of obstinacy, ignorance or fear, that their children are immunized, we still suffer 100,000 cases of measles every year. Among them, more than 10,000 will suffer side effects of one kind or another. At least 10,000 will develop ear or chest infections. Around 20 will die. WE TAKE AWARENESS OF IT. About 20 children will die of measles each year in Britain. And what risks do your children run when they are vaccinated? They are almost nonexistent. Attend. In a district of approximately 300,000 people, there will be only one child every 250 years who develops serious side effects from getting vaccinated! The probability is one in a million. You may think that your child is more likely to be choked to death with a chocolate bar than to be seriously ill from being vaccinated against measles. What noses do you worry about? It is almost a crime to allow your children not to be vaccinated. The ideal time is around 13 months of age, but it is never too late. All school-age children who have not yet been vaccinated should ask their parents to do so as soon as possible. By the way, I dedicated two of my books to Olivia, the first was "James and the giant peach." That was when I was still alive. The second was "The Great Giant Bonachón -The BFG", dedicated to his memory after dying of measles. You will see its name at the beginning of each of those books. And I know how happy he would feel if he could know that his death has saved a good amount of illness and death among other children.
Roald Dahl passed away in 1990 and, although this letter 27 years ago, it is still valid today because there are many parents, as we explained a couple of days ago, who prefer not to vaccinate their children.
