Vitamin A to treat measles: What to know about benefits and risks

As measles cases continue to emerge in several U.S. states, treatment and prevention is top of mind. As most infected individuals have been unvaccinated, school-aged children, U.S. health agencies have stressed the importance of receiving two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to prevent the disease. In a recent Fox News Digital op-ed, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. shared his "deep concern" about the measles outbreak and its rapid escalation. WATCH FULL INTERVIEW WITH DR. MARC SIEGEL AND RFK JR. ON FOX NATION Kennedy noted that while there is no approved antiviral for measles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement last week supporting the administration of vitamin A under physician supervision as supportive care. Previous research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology has shown that vitamin A, in conjunction with the measles vaccine, can be an effective intervention in preventing measles mortality in children. Kennedy reiterated the importance of maintaining good nutrition and consuming various vitamins — like A, B12, C, D and E — as the "best defense against" chronic and infectious illness. "Vitamin A can be helpful as part of a broader treatment protocol, especially in areas where children are deficient." While studies have suggested that vitamin A can help fight a measles infection, Neil Maniar, PhD, MPH, professor of public health practice at Northeastern University in Boston, reiterated that it does not prevent the disease. "The two-dose MMR vaccine is our safest and most effective tool to prevent this highly contagious illness," he told Fox News Digital. "Vitamin A can be helpful as part of a broader treatment protocol, especially in areas where children are deficient." Vitamin A can reduce the severity of measles symptoms, as well as the likelihood of mortality from the disease in individuals who are vitamin A-deficient, the expert noted. RFK RECOMMENDS MEASLES VACCINES FOR COMMUNITY IMMUNITY WHILE SUPPORTING PERSONAL CHOICE "For children who are diagnosed with both measles and vitamin A deficiency, receiving age-appropriate doses of vitamin A may reduce the likelihood of progression to severe illness or death," he added. The expert warned that vitamin A can be harmful in high doses, so it’s "critical that vitamin A is not viewed as the primary course of treatment for all measles cases." Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, stated that vitamin A deficiency is common in developing countries, coinciding with an increased measles mortality in those areas. For more Health articles, visit foxnews.com/health During an interview with Fox News Digital, Kuritzkes referenced research from the Harvard-Chan School of Public Health in 1993, which "favored a benefit" of vitamin A supplementation in the reduction of measles mortality for children in "resource-limited settings" or developing nations. IS MMR VACCINE SAFE FOR KIDS? DR. NICOLE SAPHIER ADDRESSES CONCERNS AS MEASLES CASES RISE Saahir Khan, MD, PhD, infectious disease expert with Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, agreed that vitamin A is not a direct treatment for measles. "Rather, children who have vitamin A deficiency, as occurs primarily in resource-limited settings like sub-Saharan Africa, have been shown to have more severe disease manifestations from measles and can benefit from vitamin A supplementation to correct their underlying deficiency," he echoed to Fox News Digital. "Studies have not shown a clear, consistent benefit to vitamin A supplementation among patients in resource-rich settings like the United States who do not have underlying vitamin A deficiency." Although vitamin A is "unlikely to harm the patient" in appropriate doses, Khan shared that controlled studies "do not support this practice." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER The CDC recommends vitamin A supplementation only under the guidance of a healthcare professional, which Kuritzkes said is "critically important" to ensure that the correct dose is administered. "Inappropriate dosing can result in toxicity and a condition known as hypervitaminosis, a health problem caused by too much vitamin A," he cautioned. "Thus, people should not be administering generic vitamin A supplements purchased at a pharmacy or health food store to their children." Maniar, Kuritzkes and Khan all emphasized that vitamin A is not a vaccination alternative, as the MMR vaccine is the "most powerful tool" in preventing and controlling outbreaks. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "It is vital that we work in partnership with communities to educate individuals and families about the importance of the MMR vaccine and ensure that this vaccine is available to all who need it," Maniar added.