The Way Roald Dahl Shut Down Anti-Vaxxers After Losing His Daughter To Measles Is Surprisingly Relevant Today
My favorite author as a child, Roald Dahl’s books filled my imagination with tales of wonder and adventure while teaching me important life lessons about kindness, independent thought, and humility. Nearly 20 years after his passing, this brilliantly insightful man is still inspiring the minds of people young and old, and his writing is just as relevant as ever.
Image credits: Shutterstock
As well as whimsical classics such as The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, Dahl penned a few essays in the interest of public health and safety. This heartbreaking letter about the tragic death of his daughter Olivia, who passed away in 1962 from complications of the measles virus, is essential reading for those of you in doubt about vaccinating your children.
Image credits: wikipedia
Here’s what people had to say about the powerful letter
241Kviews
Share on FacebookPeople, please, please, please vaccinate. You may not get sick, but you can still be a carrier for the disease, and (unwillingly) spread it around, especially to those who have a compromised immune system. And to those people, it can be fatal.
@fuggnuggins https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/do-vaccines-cause-autism#1 The research is clear: Vaccines don’t cause autism. So stfu.
Load More Replies...Antivaxxers have no credible medical reports upon which to base their decisions. It began with Wakefield's (now retracted) inaccurate paper, was spead by idiotic celebrities (much like herpes), and has been embraced by the portion of the US who believe everything celebs tell them. The children are the ones who suffer.
You're right. I just realized that the first time I heard about it was when Jenny McCarthy started talking about it!
Load More Replies...I like it how he uses the word "immunisation". Language matters a lot, as particular words help shaping particular thoughts. "Vaccine" doesn't sound friendly indeed. If you know what it is, you'll percieve the term as merely "medicine". But it does bring cold images of laboratories, experiments, etc. "Immunisation", on the other hand, is very specific about its objective. It brings senses of trust and a positive curiosity, the one that makes you wanna try. Interesting, really. Maybe we should re-adopt this word into common speech.
Daria B is referring to the use of the word 'immunisation (or immunization) as opposed to the word 'vaccination'...not the difference in spelling between the US and Britain.
Load More Replies...Seriously how is refusing to vaccination your children NOT recognized as a form of child abuse by now?
religion,mostly. Nobody wants to buck religion. If I said, the great god Jimmajanga came to me in a vision last night and told me to paint my child blue to protect him and not allow him to be vaccinated, school officials would give me a form to sign and my child would not be vaccinated. And worse,he could infect the entire school, and nothing would be done. There is a place for religion; the medical field isn't it!
Load More Replies...Here is a graphic I like to trot out whenever the anti-vax crowd rear their ugly heads. It shows a boy whose parents didn't have him vaccinated against polio, so he caught the disease, and now watches all his friends playing football. salkshots-...9842f1.jpg
The way I see it, you should only bother vaccinating your kids, if you want them to live.
I have a very old copy of "The Twits" which Mr. Dahl signed himself back in Oxford, England in the late 60's! Brilliant man!
Believe a medical professional, not the internet druggie that raves about how vaccines can develop autism.
I used to not want to be vaccinated when I was little (not knowing that I had already been vaccinated earlier in life) all because my hairstylist had a scar from one of her vaccinations. Now I see that it's better to have a scar and be vaccinated than die from such a disease as measles.
The scars from smallpox vaccines from the early days were very large. By the 1950s they were much, much smaller.
Load More Replies...I wonder.... he says that it is compulsory in the United States.... why isn't it nowadays? When and why did that change?
People claim religious objection even when their objection is not religious but actually pseudoscience.
Load More Replies...I was one of those kids that got the unreliable measles vaccine and still got the measles. It was so awful. I was so sick. The measles rash was inside me, my throat, lungs etc and outside. I coughed all the time and I was just so, so sick. I was weak for months afterwards. If I hadn't have had the vaccine, even though it didn't prevent them, I probably would have died. Get vaccinated. Flu too.
Read the story of Tiffany Yonts, also here on Bored Panda. Vaccination is important, despite the fact that yes, sometimes, some children get really sick after vaccination. It saves lives of alot of children and adults.
I've said this time and time again... anti-vaxxers are the worst types of people. They don't deserve to raise children. Willingly exposing your child to potentially deadly diseases is child abuse, no way around that. My little brother contracted the flu from one of his unvaccinated friends. The flu developed into walking pneumonia which developed into AMPS, a very painful disease. IMMUNIZE. YOUR. CHILDREN. BEFORE THEY DIE.
He always tickled my funny bone with his words but never touched me like this. Want to plaster this everywhere.
If you don’t vaccinate your kids, then you don’t deserve to be a parent. ‘Nuff sed.
Why is this even a thing?!?! Like come ON people!!! The thing is here in Canada, the shot is completely FREE! The thing is these "anti-vaxxers" think they know better than doctors. Would you take your car to a guy that THINKS he knows what he's talking about?! Not EVER! So why do these people believe the things the read about the "truth"?? They are also the first people to turn to the SAME free healthcare to help them when their child gets one of these terrible diseases.
I grew up in the 60s and remember being sent next door to catch measles on purpose when I was about 9 or 10. The idea was for girls to get immunity before reaching childbearing age, as measles can be catastrophic both prenatally and in the early years of life. It was a miserable disease and I'm glad kids today don't have to get it.
Ok, I have heard of people who said this: "If my child gets a shot, she'll get birth defects!!!" Now, I'm not a parent, but, um, no. Over 20 year old advice that should still be inspring people today. I hope it does.
It is disturbingly sad to think that parents would rather have a dead child than having the possibility that their child may have autism. To add to that, the dr who proposed this theory has had his license taken away and can no longer practice medicine. As for Jenny McCarthy, it appears that she admitted her son was not really autistic. I guess she needed to move on from her first 15 minutes of fame, and move on to a new one (Marrying Donnie Wahlberg). Foolishness and ignorance, what a deadly combination.
Wakefield, the a*s who started the whole mess, had a vaccine he wanted to substitute for the original, hence his autism 'discovery'. As I have said over and over, autism was known long before vaccines.
Load More Replies...Honestly I always thought the anti-vax people are such a priveledge crowd for not to know the feeling of dread for the disease that able to preventable by vaccines.. Where i live, what you guys will call the third world country or if you want to soften the blow its a developing country. We do know first hand how those disease affecting families and their child...
I never had children of my own, but if I'd had some they would have been vaccinated against ALL contagious diseases.
Everyone has to make sure, for the sake of everyone, that their children read Roald Dahl. Best children's author ever. And get a vaccination on the way to the bookshop...
I would never have even thought to NOT have my children vaccinated. That's just something you do as part of well baby care. I do wonder though - how are unvaccinated children going to get into school? In the US (or at least Washington State) it is MANDATORY that a child's immunizations are up to date. They will not be allowed to attend until they are.
There are 3 exemptions in most states. The first (and only valid one) is medical. Either a depressed immune system, or an allergy to an ingredient (a friend of mine, for example,couldn't have the Chicken pox vaccine because it was made with egg.) The second is religion. We have idiots who claim God will heal,and therefore will not vaccinate their children. (Of course god heals, that's why he made doctors.) ANd the 3rd is the combination of fluff-headed idiots: the healthy lifestyle I'm not putting synthetic substances in my child, I don't believe in them and the autism is caused by vaxxing lot. Some states--Washington included--allow all 3 tobe equally valid objections. I am given to understand that Washington is now attempting to tighten their requirements drastically. I wish them luck;it always takes a larger container to recan worms once they're out.
Load More Replies...Vaccines weren't available for a great many diseases when I was young, and my sister and I had most of them. But as soon as the vaccines did come out, I got every one available. Around here there are certain vaccinations a child must have before being allowed in school. So sad that people much suffer from something that can be prevented.
The BFG makes me cry every time I read it - it is an analogy for vaccines.
"Refusing to vaccinate your children is not only child abuse, but biological terrorism."
Please vaccinate. However, if we are going to be taking Roald Dahl's advice on things other than 'how to write amazing children's literature', may we also point out that an anti-Semitic a*****e who emotionally abused his family?
Thank you Liz Perry. I pointed this out also, and currently have 8 downvotes. Not that I care about downvotes. But I notice ignorance and antisemitism.
Load More Replies...24 years after 1962? That would be 1996. It is alarming that people did not learn in the meantime, or probably even got more careless, self-absorbed, and confused with "alternative facts".
I not trying to be annoying or anything, but 24 years after 1962 is 1988. (Dahl passed away 1990) but other than that, I completely agree with your comment.
Load More Replies...It is very rare, and many of the issues that are blamed on vaccines are actually incorrectly attributed. The issues happen to pop up around the same time that the immunizations are received and the parents wrongly see a connection.
Load More Replies...Huh? You are going to risk your child’s preventable death because other people are doing it too?
Load More Replies...People, please, please, please vaccinate. You may not get sick, but you can still be a carrier for the disease, and (unwillingly) spread it around, especially to those who have a compromised immune system. And to those people, it can be fatal.
@fuggnuggins https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/do-vaccines-cause-autism#1 The research is clear: Vaccines don’t cause autism. So stfu.
Load More Replies...Antivaxxers have no credible medical reports upon which to base their decisions. It began with Wakefield's (now retracted) inaccurate paper, was spead by idiotic celebrities (much like herpes), and has been embraced by the portion of the US who believe everything celebs tell them. The children are the ones who suffer.
You're right. I just realized that the first time I heard about it was when Jenny McCarthy started talking about it!
Load More Replies...I like it how he uses the word "immunisation". Language matters a lot, as particular words help shaping particular thoughts. "Vaccine" doesn't sound friendly indeed. If you know what it is, you'll percieve the term as merely "medicine". But it does bring cold images of laboratories, experiments, etc. "Immunisation", on the other hand, is very specific about its objective. It brings senses of trust and a positive curiosity, the one that makes you wanna try. Interesting, really. Maybe we should re-adopt this word into common speech.
Daria B is referring to the use of the word 'immunisation (or immunization) as opposed to the word 'vaccination'...not the difference in spelling between the US and Britain.
Load More Replies...Seriously how is refusing to vaccination your children NOT recognized as a form of child abuse by now?
religion,mostly. Nobody wants to buck religion. If I said, the great god Jimmajanga came to me in a vision last night and told me to paint my child blue to protect him and not allow him to be vaccinated, school officials would give me a form to sign and my child would not be vaccinated. And worse,he could infect the entire school, and nothing would be done. There is a place for religion; the medical field isn't it!
Load More Replies...Here is a graphic I like to trot out whenever the anti-vax crowd rear their ugly heads. It shows a boy whose parents didn't have him vaccinated against polio, so he caught the disease, and now watches all his friends playing football. salkshots-...9842f1.jpg
The way I see it, you should only bother vaccinating your kids, if you want them to live.
I have a very old copy of "The Twits" which Mr. Dahl signed himself back in Oxford, England in the late 60's! Brilliant man!
Believe a medical professional, not the internet druggie that raves about how vaccines can develop autism.
I used to not want to be vaccinated when I was little (not knowing that I had already been vaccinated earlier in life) all because my hairstylist had a scar from one of her vaccinations. Now I see that it's better to have a scar and be vaccinated than die from such a disease as measles.
The scars from smallpox vaccines from the early days were very large. By the 1950s they were much, much smaller.
Load More Replies...I wonder.... he says that it is compulsory in the United States.... why isn't it nowadays? When and why did that change?
People claim religious objection even when their objection is not religious but actually pseudoscience.
Load More Replies...I was one of those kids that got the unreliable measles vaccine and still got the measles. It was so awful. I was so sick. The measles rash was inside me, my throat, lungs etc and outside. I coughed all the time and I was just so, so sick. I was weak for months afterwards. If I hadn't have had the vaccine, even though it didn't prevent them, I probably would have died. Get vaccinated. Flu too.
Read the story of Tiffany Yonts, also here on Bored Panda. Vaccination is important, despite the fact that yes, sometimes, some children get really sick after vaccination. It saves lives of alot of children and adults.
I've said this time and time again... anti-vaxxers are the worst types of people. They don't deserve to raise children. Willingly exposing your child to potentially deadly diseases is child abuse, no way around that. My little brother contracted the flu from one of his unvaccinated friends. The flu developed into walking pneumonia which developed into AMPS, a very painful disease. IMMUNIZE. YOUR. CHILDREN. BEFORE THEY DIE.
He always tickled my funny bone with his words but never touched me like this. Want to plaster this everywhere.
If you don’t vaccinate your kids, then you don’t deserve to be a parent. ‘Nuff sed.
Why is this even a thing?!?! Like come ON people!!! The thing is here in Canada, the shot is completely FREE! The thing is these "anti-vaxxers" think they know better than doctors. Would you take your car to a guy that THINKS he knows what he's talking about?! Not EVER! So why do these people believe the things the read about the "truth"?? They are also the first people to turn to the SAME free healthcare to help them when their child gets one of these terrible diseases.
I grew up in the 60s and remember being sent next door to catch measles on purpose when I was about 9 or 10. The idea was for girls to get immunity before reaching childbearing age, as measles can be catastrophic both prenatally and in the early years of life. It was a miserable disease and I'm glad kids today don't have to get it.
Ok, I have heard of people who said this: "If my child gets a shot, she'll get birth defects!!!" Now, I'm not a parent, but, um, no. Over 20 year old advice that should still be inspring people today. I hope it does.
It is disturbingly sad to think that parents would rather have a dead child than having the possibility that their child may have autism. To add to that, the dr who proposed this theory has had his license taken away and can no longer practice medicine. As for Jenny McCarthy, it appears that she admitted her son was not really autistic. I guess she needed to move on from her first 15 minutes of fame, and move on to a new one (Marrying Donnie Wahlberg). Foolishness and ignorance, what a deadly combination.
Wakefield, the a*s who started the whole mess, had a vaccine he wanted to substitute for the original, hence his autism 'discovery'. As I have said over and over, autism was known long before vaccines.
Load More Replies...Honestly I always thought the anti-vax people are such a priveledge crowd for not to know the feeling of dread for the disease that able to preventable by vaccines.. Where i live, what you guys will call the third world country or if you want to soften the blow its a developing country. We do know first hand how those disease affecting families and their child...
I never had children of my own, but if I'd had some they would have been vaccinated against ALL contagious diseases.
Everyone has to make sure, for the sake of everyone, that their children read Roald Dahl. Best children's author ever. And get a vaccination on the way to the bookshop...
I would never have even thought to NOT have my children vaccinated. That's just something you do as part of well baby care. I do wonder though - how are unvaccinated children going to get into school? In the US (or at least Washington State) it is MANDATORY that a child's immunizations are up to date. They will not be allowed to attend until they are.
There are 3 exemptions in most states. The first (and only valid one) is medical. Either a depressed immune system, or an allergy to an ingredient (a friend of mine, for example,couldn't have the Chicken pox vaccine because it was made with egg.) The second is religion. We have idiots who claim God will heal,and therefore will not vaccinate their children. (Of course god heals, that's why he made doctors.) ANd the 3rd is the combination of fluff-headed idiots: the healthy lifestyle I'm not putting synthetic substances in my child, I don't believe in them and the autism is caused by vaxxing lot. Some states--Washington included--allow all 3 tobe equally valid objections. I am given to understand that Washington is now attempting to tighten their requirements drastically. I wish them luck;it always takes a larger container to recan worms once they're out.
Load More Replies...Vaccines weren't available for a great many diseases when I was young, and my sister and I had most of them. But as soon as the vaccines did come out, I got every one available. Around here there are certain vaccinations a child must have before being allowed in school. So sad that people much suffer from something that can be prevented.
The BFG makes me cry every time I read it - it is an analogy for vaccines.
"Refusing to vaccinate your children is not only child abuse, but biological terrorism."
Please vaccinate. However, if we are going to be taking Roald Dahl's advice on things other than 'how to write amazing children's literature', may we also point out that an anti-Semitic a*****e who emotionally abused his family?
Thank you Liz Perry. I pointed this out also, and currently have 8 downvotes. Not that I care about downvotes. But I notice ignorance and antisemitism.
Load More Replies...24 years after 1962? That would be 1996. It is alarming that people did not learn in the meantime, or probably even got more careless, self-absorbed, and confused with "alternative facts".
I not trying to be annoying or anything, but 24 years after 1962 is 1988. (Dahl passed away 1990) but other than that, I completely agree with your comment.
Load More Replies...It is very rare, and many of the issues that are blamed on vaccines are actually incorrectly attributed. The issues happen to pop up around the same time that the immunizations are received and the parents wrongly see a connection.
Load More Replies...Huh? You are going to risk your child’s preventable death because other people are doing it too?
Load More Replies...
357
93