As measles cases continue to emerge in several US states, treatment and prevention are the best in the heart.
As most infected people are not vaccinated, school-age children, US health agencies have emphasized the importance of receiving two measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines to prevent illness.
In the recent Fox News Digital Op-Ed, HHS secretary RFK Jr. shared “deep concerns” about the occurrence of measles and its rapid escalation.
RFK Jr. said that although there is no approved antiviral for measles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement last week in favour of administration of vitamin A under physician A as supportive care.
Previous studies published in the International Journal of Epidemiology have shown that vitamin A, along with measles vaccines, could be an effective intervention to prevent measles death in children.
RFK Jr. reiterated the importance of maintaining nutrition and consuming various vitamins such as A, B12, C, D, and E.
Research suggests that vitamin A can help combat measles infections, but Dr. Neil Mannial, a professor of public health services at Northeastern University in Boston, repeatedly said he doesn't prevent the disease.
“The two-dose MMR vaccine is the safest and most effective tool to prevent this highly contagious disease,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Vitamin A serves as part of a wider treatment protocol, especially in areas with child deficiency.”
Experts not only can vitamin A reduce the severity of measles symptoms, but it can also reduce the mortality rates caused by disease in patients with vitamin A deficiency.
“For children diagnosed with both measles and vitamin A deficiency, receiving an age-appropriate dose of vitamin A can reduce the likelihood of severe illness or progression to death,” he added.
Experts warned that vitamin A could be harmful at high doses, so “it is important that vitamin A is not considered the primary course of treatment for all measles cases.”
Dr. Daniel Critzkes, director of the infectious diseases division at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said vitamin A deficiency is common in developing countries, coinciding with an increase in measles mortality in those regions.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Kuritzkes referenced a study at the Harvard-chan School of Public Health in 1993. This “supported the benefits” of vitamin A supplementation in “setting resource limits” or reducing measles mortality in children in developing countries.
Saahir Khan, MD, an infectious disease expert at Keck Medicine at USC in Los Angeles, agreed that Vitamin A is not a direct treatment for measles.
“In fact, children with vitamin A deficiency have been shown to have more severe disease symptoms from measles, as mostly occurring in resource-restricted settings like sub-Saharan Africa, and can benefit from vitamin A supplementation to correct the underlying deficiency.”
“Studies have not shown clear and consistent benefits for vitamin A supplementation in patients in resource-rich environments like the United States who do not suffer from vitamin A deficiency.”
Vitamin A is “not likely to harm patients” at the appropriate dose, but Khan shared that controlled studies “does not support this practice.”
The CDC recommends supplementing vitamin A only under the guidance of healthcare professionals. He said this is “very important” to ensure that the correct dose is administered.
“Improper administration can cause conditions known as toxicity and hypervitaminosis, a health problem caused by too much vitamin A,” he warned.
“Therefore, people should not administer their children common vitamin A supplements purchased from pharmacies or health food stores.”
Maniar, Kuritzkes and Khan all stressed that Vitamin A is not an alternative to vaccination, as MMR vaccines are the “most powerful tool” in preventing and controlling outbreaks.
“It is important to work together with the community to educate individuals and families about the importance of the MMR vaccine and to ensure that this vaccine is available to everyone who needs it,” Maniaar added.
