After RFK Jr. recommends vitamin A as a measles treatment, some Texas patients show signs of toxicity

Weeks aft Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. touted vitamin A arsenic an effectual attraction for measles amid the largest outbreak of illness successful decades, hospitalized patients successful West Texas are being treated for signs of vitamin A toxicity.

Several patients astatine Covenant Children’s Hospital successful Lubbock person been recovered to person abnormal liver function, CNN reported, which tin hap erstwhile a idiosyncratic takes excessive doses of vitamin A. Those being treated see “a fistful of unvaccinated children who were fixed truthful overmuch vitamin A that they had signs of liver damage,” the New York Times reported.

More than 320 radical successful Texas person contracted measles successful caller weeks. Forty radical person been hospitalized successful the authorities and 1 kid has died successful the existent outbreak. As of March 27, determination person been 411 reported cases of measles successful the United States successful 2025 and 2 deaths overall.

‘Flying disconnected the shelves’

One week aft RFK Jr.’s March 4 interrogation connected Fox News, during which helium touted the “very good” results of treating measles with vitamin A-rich cod liver oil, pharmacies successful West Texas saw request skyrocket.

“It’s flying disconnected the shelves,” Tyler Schultz, pharmacy manager astatine Drug Emporium successful Lubbock told KLBK News earlier this period astir cod liver oil.

On Thursday, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a commercialized enactment for the nutrient supplement industry, issued a connection successful effect to caller media reports that parents were giving their children excessive doses of vitamin A arsenic a mode to dainty oregon effort to forestall contracting measles.

“While vitamin A plays an important relation successful supporting wide immune function, probe hasn’t established its effectiveness successful preventing measles infection. CRN is acrophobic astir reports of high-dose vitamin A being utilized inappropriately, particularly successful children,” the connection said.

While ample doses of vitamin A person been shown to beryllium effectual successful helping to dainty terrible cases of measles, wellness experts pass that it should beryllium administered nether the guidance of a physician.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases states connected its website that “when measles does occur, vitamin A tin beryllium an effectual attraction erstwhile appropriately administered by a healthcare professional.”

Taking excessively overmuch vitamin A tin besides beryllium dangerous.

Symptoms of vitamin A toxicity

On its website, Cleveland Clinic states that “Acute vitamin A toxicity happens erstwhile idiosyncratic — usually a kid — accidentally ingests a megadose of vitamin A.”

The astir communal symptoms see headache, a rash that whitethorn origin tegument to peel, drowsiness, irritability, tummy pain, nausea and vomiting, the session said.

Kennedy directed the CDC to update its measles guidance to beforehand the usage of vitamin A.

“While determination is nary approved antiviral for those who whitethorn beryllium infected, CDC has precocious updated their proposal supporting medication of vitamin A nether the supervision of a doc for those with mild, moderate, and terrible infection,” Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, wrote successful a March 2 op-ed published by Fox News. “Studies person recovered that vitamin A tin dramatically trim measles mortality.”

But the survey Kennedy referenced looked astatine the effectiveness of vitamin A “treatment and supplementation successful summation to offering 2 doses of vaccine to each children.” And successful his Fox News interrogation 2 days later, Kennedy suggested vitamin A could besides enactment “as a prophylaxis” to measles, which is not true.

Vaccines enactment against measles

"I conscionable privation to beryllium abundantly wide that vitamin A is not a replacement for vaccination," Dr. Stacey Rose, a prof astatine Baylor College of Medicine, told Houston Public Media earlier this month. "I deliberation the crushed that vitamin A is portion of the speech is due to the fact that vitamin A supplementation has been shown to trim mortality oregon decease associated with measles infection, particularly successful young children and successful populations oregon areas wherever children thin to beryllium malnourished."

Health attraction experts person marveled astatine however an wholly preventable puerility illness has continued to circulate acknowledgment to vaccine skepticism.

“Given that 2 (2) doses of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine are 97% effectual successful preventing the disease, it should not beryllium indispensable for a genitor oregon a healthcare nonrecreational to cognize however to dainty measles,” the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases states connected its website.

Are you an educator? What bash you deliberation astir Trump's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education?

Yahoo News is asking teachers, administrators and different schoolhouse unit astir the state for their reactions to Trump’s bid and however closing the Department of Education would impact their schools and students. To springiness your feedback, click here.