RFK Jr.’s focus on vitamin A for measles worries health experts
Caitlin Fuller holds her 1-year-old son, River, as he receives an MMR vaccine on Saturday at a vaccine clinic hosted by the Lubbock Health Department. Photo by Jan Sonnenmair / Getty Images
The Washington Post
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s focus on vitamin A use to combat a growing measles outbreak in Texas is raising concerns among public health experts, who fear he is sending the wrong message about preventing the highly contagious disease and distracting from the critical importance of vaccination.
Kennedy, who in his years as an anti-vaccine activist criticized measles shots and boosted vitamin A as a treatment, is now using his government position to tout the vitamin’s accepted benefits. The Department of Health and Human Services has directed the nation’s top public health agency to add similar language to its guidance for caring for measles patients.
“It is also our responsibility to provide up-to-date guidance on available therapeutic medications. While there is no approved antiviral for those who may be infected, CDC has recently updated their recommendation supporting administration of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician for those with mild, moderate, and severe infection,” he wrote in an opinion piece that appeared on foxnews.com on Sunday night. “Studies have found that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality.”
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