United States: The United States outbreak of measles has resulted in new safety hazards when pediatric patients consume large doses of vitamin A in their treatment.
Under the care of Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, multiple unvaccinated patients developed liver issues from overdosing on vitamin A, according to Dr. Lara Johnson in her position as chief medical officer.
During the outbreak, Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his support for vitamin A supplementation, which he believed could help stop measles.
What are the experts stating?
According to Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, “If people have the mistaken impression that you have an either-or choice of MMR vaccine or vitamin A, you’re going to get a lot of kids unnecessarily infected with measles. That’s a problem, especially during an epidemic,” US News reported.
“And second, you have this unregulated medicine in terms of doses being given and potential toxicities,” Hotez added.
Medical professionals disagree with this claim. Medical science proves that the combination MMR vaccine stands as the single effective method to avoid contracting measles.
Please, do not give your child vitamin A to combat the measles.
— Dittie (@DittiePE) March 28, 2025
It’s dangerous, toxicity will cause liver damage, and it cannot be easily flushed from your system.
Robert Kennedy is not a doctor. He is giving medical advice without a license, which is VERY illegal.
If you… pic.twitter.com/BE8TafyDvd
Research shows that the vaccine produces 97% effectiveness after administering two doses.
Kennedy promotes vaccination, yet he supports freedom to make decisions about immunizations.
Medical supervision is necessary for people with measles to receive beneficial results from Vitamin A at appropriate doses prescribed by doctors.
Hazardous medical conditions may arise when individuals take excessive amounts of vitamins outside supervised medical care.
Due to being a fat-soluble vitamin, Vitamin A accumulates within the human body. Administering excessive amounts of vitamin A to the body results in dry skin and vision impairment, bone complications, and liver damage.
Pregnant females who take in excess vitamin A risk developing birth abnormalities, US News reported.
West Texas children treated for vitamin A toxicity as medical disinformation spreads alongside measles outbreakhttps://t.co/GFS3lAKNA5
— wtafisgoingon (@wtafisgoingon24) March 28, 2025
Dr. Lesley Motheral treats patients in Lubbock, and she observes that Texan children have sufficient nutrition, so they require no additional vitamin A supplementation.
“Recovery for patients with acute toxicity can be rapid when the vitamin is discontinued,” Motheral stated.
“Sadly, some of the more serious problems with vitamin A toxicity are not always reversible,” the expert added.
Members of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), which represents supplement producers, advised parents to avoid supplying their children with elevated doses of vitamin A.
“While vitamin A plays an important role in supporting overall immune function, research hasn’t established its effectiveness in preventing measles infection. CRN is concerned about reports of high-dose vitamin A being used inappropriately, especially in children,” it stated in a statement.