Cod liver oil embraced amid Texas measles outbreak; doctors fight misinfo – Ars Technica
Cod liver oil capsules in Holland & Barrett, UK. (Photo by: Alex Segre/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Overdoses of vitamin A have serious risks—and it doesn’t prevent measles.
US Health Secretary and long-standing anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing criticism for his equivocal response to the raging measles outbreak in West Texas, which as of Tuesday has grown to 159 cases, with 22 hospitalizations and one child death.While public health officials would like to see a resounding endorsement of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine as the best way to protect children and vulnerable community members from further spread of the extremely infectious virus, Kennedy instead penned an Op-Ed for Fox News sprinkled with anti-vaccine talking points. Before noting that vaccines “protect individual children” and “contribute to community immunity,” he stressed parental choice. The decision to vaccinate is “a personal one,” he wrote, and merely advised parents to “consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine.”Further, Kennedy seemed more eager to embrace nutrition and supplements as a way to combat the potentially deadly infection. He declared that the “best defense” against infectious diseases, like the measles, is “good nutrition”—not lifesaving, highly effective vaccines.”Vitamins A, C, and D, and foods rich in vitamins B12, C, and E should be part of a balanced diet,” according to Kennedy, who has no medical or health background. In particular, he highlighted that vitamin A can be used as a treatment for severe measles cases—only when it is administered carefully by a doctor.But, Kennedy’s emphasis has spurred a general embrace of vitamin A and cod liver oil (which is rich in vitamin A, among other nutrients) by vaccine-hesitant parents in West Texas, according to The Washington Post.A Post reporter spent time in Gaines County, the undervaccinated epicenter of the outbreak, which has a large Mennonite community. At a Mennonite-owned pizzeria in Seminole, the county seat of Gaines, a waitress advised diners that vitamin A was a great way to help children with measles, according to the Post.A Mennonite-owned health food and supplement store a mile away has been running low on vitamin A products as demand increased amid the outbreak. “They’ll do cod liver oil because it’s high in vitamin A and D naturally, food-based,” Nancy Ginter, the store’s owner, told the Post. “Some people come in before they break out because they’re trying to just get their kids’ immune system to go up so they don’t get a secondary infection.”Some data suggests that large doses of vitamin A may help reduce measles complications and the risk of death from measles in severely ill children under the age of 2. It’s known that vitamin A deficiencies put children at risk of having a measles infection turn severe, and a measles infection can in turn reduce blood levels of vitamin A in children who don’t have a deficiency to begin with. The World Health Organization and US pediatric infectious disease experts recommend that children with measles, particularly those who are hospitalized, get two doses of vitamin A one day apart to prevent measles complications, including eye damage and blindness from vitamin A deficiency.Still, vitamin A is not considered a frontline treatment for measles, and many of the studies on vitamin A in measles cases were done in countries where malnutrition is common.Most importantly, vitamin A does not prevent measles, and taking large or prolonged supplements without oversight from a doctor can be dangerous. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning excess amounts stay in the body and are not quickly flushed out in urine. With excessive consumption, vitamin A becomes toxic. Symptoms of vitamin A overdose included vomiting, headache, fatigue, joint and bone pain, blurry vision, and skin and hair problems. It can also lead to dangerously high pressure inside the skull that pushes on the brain, as well as liver damage, confusion, coma, and other problems, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).The AAP has been quick to try to get ahead of misinformation about vitamin A use amid the measles outbreak and Kennedy’s response.”Vitamin A, at any dose, does not protect you from measles,” James Campbell, vice chair of AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases, said in a statement. “No one should take, and no parent should give to their child, vitamin A in hopes of preventing measles. It will not do that.”Campbell instead stressed that vitamin A is a micronutrient, meaning only small amounts are needed to stay healthy. “Those small amounts are what is found in a healthy diet and in recommended doses of over-the-counter multivitamin supplements,” Campbell said. “Larger doses, especially larger doses given over prolonged periods, are very dangerous.””In summary, MMR vaccine prevents measles. Vitamin A does not,” he said.Ars Technica has been separating the signal from
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