As the fatal measles outbreak continues to spread, major US public health officials have provided some advice that is not supported by science. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; Fox News Earlier this month, his department delivered Vitamin A to Texas, and health officials have been able to get results from treating measles with cod liver oil, a substance with high levels of vitamin A and D.
In fact, Vitamin A is part of the recommended treatment for measles, but he said, “That’s not good advice.” Adam Ratneran expert on pediatric infectious diseases and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Infectious Diseases Committee. “The problem is, I think he has an interaction between where the core of truth is, the outcome of vitamin A status and measles, and he has turned it into vitamin A and vitamin D.
Kennedy’s advice could not have come at an even worse time. As of March 18ththe Texas Department of Health and Human Services has reported 279 cases since the end of January, with 36 patients requiring hospitalization. One unvaccinated child died in Texas, and another unvaccinated person died in New Mexico. Cases have been reported in at least seven states. According to the World Health Organization (WH)more than 100,000 people, mainly children under the age of five, died of measles worldwide in 2023.
Vitamin A factor
Kennedy may have been wrong overall, but as Ratner pointed out, there were still bars of truth in his statement. Both CDC and Who is It is recommended to administer children diagnosed with vitamin A and measles, which are found in foods such as carrots, spinach, pumpkin, eggs, milk, sweet potatoes, and mangoes.
Many the study I have it Found Vitamin A is effective in reducing the severity of measles, including lower mortality. According to AAP guidelines, children testing positive for measles should receive two doses of vitamin A for two days for two days, and the dosage varies depending on age.
However, many studies that concluded vitamin A have implemented effective treatments for populations that are generally prone to malnutrition. In more developed countries such as the United States, the effectiveness of vitamin A is less clear. 2021 study What was done in Italy found that there was no significant difference between vitamin A and placebo when treating children hospitalized for measles.
Ratner noted that the Italian study had a smaller sample size, but admitted that there was data in the aspect that “impacts like Italy and the US are less likely to be less vitamin A supplement than those in malnourished areas.”
[ Related: How to check your measles vaccination status amid outbreak. ]
The reason why Vitamin A is suitable for measles is simple and complicated. Vitamins “play an important role in the functioning of the immune system.” Eric BrutingerAssistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine. “It helps the body produce antibodies. It helps the body recruit T-cell responses and prevents the immune system from becoming weaker overall.”
Vitamin A is also important for skin health, as it helps maintain healthy cells in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin.
“The skin is one of our important organs and also serves as a protective barrier in our immune system,” adds Blutinger.
There are too many good things
The issue with recent recommendations is that some parents may hear that vitamin A is a little better, so they need to get better. Like most medicines, this can be dangerous thoughts. At a large dose, Vitamin A can be toxic. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headaches and blurred vision. In extreme cases, it can lead to permanent damage to the liver, bone, or even nervous system.
Vitamin A is particularly dangerous. “It is stored in the liver because it is fat-soluble,” Ratner said. “It’s very easy to give someone too much, and it can put your liver at risk for too long, even for too long in terms of individual or reasonable doses, and it can put your bones at risk. It should not be done over a long period unless there is a very specific medical condition that someone is treating, not something that people should do on their own.”
2023 article It is published on Journal of the American College of Emergyment Physicians Open, Blutinger noted that there is no antiviral treatment for measles, which is still available. A two-day vitamin A dose is recommended, followed by another dose several weeks later, but this study concluded that the best and surest way to combat the disease remains vaccinated.
[ Related: Is raw milk safe? Science has a clear answer. ]
How to stay healthy
Beyond vaccinations, the best advice that Blutinger could provide to parents was to “get fully informed with verifiable information arising from your primary care physician or health professionals who don’t care about politics.”
“My other advice is to take measles very seriously and do what you can to protect your loved ones, your children, your elderly people, everyone around you. “If measles is spreading rapidly, you could be in even more serious trouble.”
