Pediatrician Responds to Parents Who Called Measles 'Not That Bad' — After Their Unvaccinated Child Died (Exclusive)

• The parents of an unvaccinated 6-year-old who died during the Texas measles outbreak called the highly contagious microorganism that infected each 5 of their children "not that bad"

• In a arguable interrogation conducted by an anti-vaccine group, the parents said they "absolutely" would not get the shots — which pediatrician and infectious illness specializer Dr. Adam Ratner tells PEOPLE are the champion mode to forestall the infection

• Dr. Ratner besides responded to claims astir however alternate remedies tin assistance — and however the parents' statements that measles is bully for the immune strategy are medically incorrect

The Texas parents of a kid who died of measles successful February person fixed their first, and only, filmed interrogation — a highly arguable 1 successful which they notation to the illness that took their child's beingness arsenic “not that bad.”

In the March 17 interrogation with the anti-vaccine radical Children’s Health Defense (which was founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) the parents, sometimes speaking Low German done a translator, defended their determination to not vaccinate their children against measles.

Instead, they explained that their six-year-old's decease showed "it was her time," and "she was excessively bully for this earth." The household besides said they would "absolutely not instrumentality the MMR vaccine" — which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella — and shared that their 4 different children recovered quickly, crediting alternate solutions.

The child's decease is the archetypal U.S. fatality from the highly contagious unwellness successful a decade, the Associated Press reports. According to the parents' interview, the kid developed a fatal lawsuit of pneumonia, a communal complication from the airborne virus.

To larn much astir the arguable statements raised successful the interview, PEOPLE spoke to pediatrician and infectious illness specializer Dr. Adam Ratner, writer of Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children's Health.

The parents said their different 4 children who had the measles “got implicit it beauteous quickly,” adding, “the measles wasn’t that bad.” Why bash immoderate radical get sick from measles — and immoderate die?

“In a batch of cases ,we don't cognize wherefore 1 peculiar kid volition get sicker than another. There's not usually a bully mode of predicting that, and that's 1 of the reasons wherefore it's truthful important for everyone to get vaccinated, due to the fact that if you support everybody, past you don't person to interest astir that,” Dr. Ratner explained.

While “the immense majority” of kids are sick for astir a week, helium says, “some kids, including this six-year-old who died, tin make pneumonia oregon different adverse events, and they tin extremity up needing to beryllium hospitalized and tin beryllium sick for overmuch longer — or, arsenic she did, tin spell connected to die.”

The parents said they would "absolutely not" get the MMR vaccine, and her begetter shared that measles “are bully for the body,” and tin assistance support radical from getting cancer. 

“None of that is true,” Dr. Ratner tells PEOPLE. “Measles are not bully for radical successful immoderate way. They enactment children successful sedate information arsenic they did for that family's daughter. They enactment children astatine hazard of different infections for a mates of years aft measles. And determination is nary grounds that measles has immoderate effect connected hazard for crab oregon hazard for thing other aboriginal on.”

As helium explained, “We present cognize that determination are besides immoderate aboriginal onset issues that tin travel up with measles. There's a degenerative neurological information called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis oregon SSPE,” which helium explained tin statesman arsenic aboriginal arsenic 7 years aft a measles infection. “That is simply a precise superior illness that leads to decease successful astir each cases.”

She died from pneumonia — was that caused by measles oregon was it a secondary infection?

“You tin get pneumonia from measles oregon kids with measles tin develop a ace infection, meaning bacterial pneumonia connected apical of measles,” Dr. Ratner tells PEOPLE, explaining that they could besides get influenza oregon COVID. “It's due to the fact that they person the archetypal viral infection. That sets them up to person a bacterial corruption connected apical of it.”

“This is simply a precise emblematic story,” helium said. “Kids with measles tin look similar they're getting amended and past tin make pneumonia later. Pneumonia tin beryllium from measles unsocial oregon measles positive a bacterial infection. But successful either case, this full people is preventable by vaccination."

Related: RFK Jr. Promotes Vitamin A, Vaccine 'Freedom of Choice' amid 'Rapidly' Expanding Measles Outbreak

The household talked astir however the different children had breathing treatments and made a constituent that their girl who died wasn’t offered one. Why would breathing treatments beryllium offered and would they beryllium helpful?

“There's nary grounds for either inhaled steroids, which is what budesonide is, oregon inhaled beta agonists similar albuterol successful measles,” Dr. Ratner explained. “There's simply nary grounds that they bash anything.” As for the different children, whom the parents said benefitted from treatments, Dr. Ratner said “it sounds similar the different children had a much benign people truthful I deliberation they were simply not arsenic sick.”

What astir different treatments that person been mentioned, similar vitamin A and cod liver oil? Are they adjuvant successful treating oregon preventing measles?

“The vitamin A happening is simply a small analyzable due to the fact that there's a kernel of information successful there,” helium explained. “Children who are malnourished are astatine higher hazard of terrible courses and decease from measles, and we cognize from studies from decades agone that vitamin A supplementation for radical who person measles tin alteration — but not eliminate— the hazard of decease and terrible disease.”

Dr. Ratner explained that if you’re treating a diligent with measles, “it is tenable to springiness 2 doses of vitamin A — conscionable 2 doses, and nether the supervision of a doc — and that tin assistance alteration the hazard of terrible illness and decease from measles. It doesn't forestall either of those things, and it surely does not forestall radical from getting measles.”

There is besides the hazard of taking excessively overmuch vitamin A, helium explained. “It accumulates successful the body. It tin origin liver damage. It tin origin cardinal tense strategy damage. It tin origin issues with tegument — it is not a benign treatment."

And arsenic for cod liver oil, portion it “does, successful fact, incorporate immoderate vitamin A” Dr. Ratner explained, determination is “no grounds that that helps successful immoderate mode and giving a supplement that has an chartless magnitude of things successful it is improbable to beryllium helpful.”

Related: 'Measles Parties' for Kids Are 'Terrifying' — and Could Have 'Devastating' Effects, Experts Say

The parent said she believes she had been vaccinated, and she inactive developed symptoms of measles. Why would that happen?

“Especially for idiosyncratic who got a azygous dose of vaccine, determination is immoderate accidental that, if they are exposed to measles, they tin make measles,” said Dr. Ratner, who explained that 1 dose of the MMR vaccine is “about 93% effective,” and the two-dose regimen is “about 97% effective.”

“Often those radical person milder illness than radical who haven't been vaccinated,” helium said, “and it sounds similar her people was beauteous mild.”

What bash radical request to recognize astir measles and their hazard of infection?

“The lone mode to forestall measles is by vaccination. The vaccine is harmless and it is highly effective, and we person been utilizing it for 60 years astatine this point,” Dr. Ratner says. “There is simply a batch of misinformation retired determination and what happens erstwhile you person that level of of misinformation, is that vaccine rates drop, you extremity up with ample outbreaks similar you person successful West Texas now.”

“We've mislaid a kid already successful this outbreak and an big has died successful New Mexico. Both of those deaths were preventable,” helium said. “Measles is not expected to beryllium causing deaths successful radical successful the U.S. successful 2025, and truthful this is each preventable.”

Read the archetypal nonfiction connected People