Olivia Dahl and Measles

Over dinner two weeks ago, I talked with two lively children about our favorite Roald Dahl books.  For me it was The BFG, while they favored James and the Giant Peach.  Others prefer Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  They're all great.

Afterward, I remembered that I had read long ago that one of Dahl's children had died of complications from the measles.  What follows is what Dahl wrote about his daughter in 1986, from roalddahl.com

Olivia Twenty Dahl, 1955-1962

"MEASLES: A dangerous illness.

Olivia, my eldest daughter caught measles when she was

seven years old.  As the illness took its usual course, I can

remember reading to her often in bed and not feeling 

particularly alarmed about it.  Then one morning, when she

was well on the road to recovery, I was sitting on her bed

showing her how to fashion little animals out of coloured

pipe-cleaners, and when it came her turn to make one

herself, I noticed that her fingers and her mind were not

working together and she couldn't do anything.

'Are you feeling all right?' I asked her.

'I feel all sleepy,' she said.

In an hour, she was unconscious.  In twelve hours she was

dead.

The measles had turned into a terrible thing called measles

encephalitis and there was nothing doctors could do to

save her.  That was twenty-four years ago in 1962, but even

now, if a child with measles happens to develop the same

deadly reaction from measles as Olivia did, there would still

be nothing the doctors could do to help her.

On the other hand, there is today something that parents 

can do to make sure that this sort of tragedy does not

happen to a child of theirs.  They can insist that their child is

immunised against measles.  I was unable to do that for

Olivia in 1962 because in those days a reliable measles

vaccine had not been discovered.  Today a good and safe 

vaccine is available to every family and all you have to do

is to ask your doctor to administer it.

It is not generally accepted that measles can be a

dangerous illness.  Believe me, it is.  In my opinion parents

who now refuse to have their children immunised are putting 

the lives of those children at risk.  In America, where measles

is now compulsory, measles like smallpox, has

been virtually wiped out.

Here in Britain, because so many parents refuse, either out

of obstinacy or ignorance or fear, to allow their children to

be immunised, we still have a hundred thousand cases of 

measles every year.  Out of those, more than 10,000 will

suffer side effects of one kind or another.  At least 10,000

will develop ear or chest infections.  About 20 will die.

LET THAT SINK IN.

Every year around 20 children will die in Britain from

measles.

So what about the risks that your children will run from 

being immunised?

They are almost non-existent.  In a district of

around 300,000 people there will be only one child every

250 years who will develop serious side effects from

measles immunisation!  That is about a million to one

chance.  I should think there would be more chance of your

child choking to death on a chocolate bar than of

becoming seriously ill from a measles vaccination.

So what on earth are you worrying about? It really is almost

a crime to allow your child to go unimmunised.

The ideal time to have it done is at 13 months, but it is never 

too late.  All school-children who have not yet had a 

measles immunisation should beg their parents to arrange

for them to have one as soon as possible.

Incidentally, I dedicated two of my books to Olivia, the first

was James and the Giant Peach.  That was when she was 

still alive.  The second was The BFG, dedicated to her

memory after she had died from measles.  You will see her

name at the beginning of each of these books.  And I know

how happy she would be if only she could know that her

death had helped to save a good deal of illness and death

among other children."

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The first measles vaccine was released in 1963, one year after Olivia Dahl's death.

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Here, from the Los Angeles Times, is a graph of annual measles cases in the US from 2000 through 2018, and those in just over four months this year.  

The increasing number of cases matters because the measles are very contagious.  

If you take an airplane trip and a measles-infected person -- who isn't showing red spots yet -- is on the plane, there's a good chance you might get a call from the airline a few days later warning you that you have a chance of getting measles yourself.  

But if you eat in a restaurant, ride a bus or go to a movie where there happens to be an infected person, your odds of getting the measles go way up and you won't even be warned.  

In the winter of 2014-2015, at least 125 cases of measles occurred among people who had paid recent visits to Walt Disney theme parks in Orange County, CA, including some visitors whose immunizations were up to date.    Another hot spot was a Waldorf School in upper-class Marin County, where a number of parents had decided against vaccinating their children.  

As we know, immunizations are not effective in 100 percent of cases, which is one reason why broad-scale immunization programs are required by most public school districts. 

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In addition to the encephalitis that killed Olivia Dahl, side effects of measles can include ear infections, eye infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, hepatitis and meningitis.

Small babies are at particular risk because the first measles vaccination is not recommended until children are between the ages of 12 months and 15 months.

Pregnant women also should be concerned because measles can cause stillbirth or miscarriage.  

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Effective vaccines have been proven to prevent measles for 56 years.  The US declared victory over measles in 2000.  

Now it's back.  How stupid are we?  

Note

Other fine Dahl titles are The Witches, The Twits, Danny, the Champion of the World, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Esio Trot.  Any decent library will have a nice selection of these waiting for you to enjoy or share with fun-loving children of your aquaintance.