Some measles patients in West Texas, West Texas, show signs of vitamin A toxicity, doctors say.

Doctors who treat hospitalized people as part of the measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico find themselves facing another problem: vitamin A toxicity.

In routine laboratory tests, several patients were found at Covenant Children's Hospital near the epicenter of the outbreak, and several patients had abnormal liver function, which may be a sign that they were taking too many vitamins.

No toxic hospitalized children were vaccinated.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy centered his response to a vitamin A outbreak, even in a Fox News interview that it could be “as a prevention.”

However, excessive use of vitamin A can have serious health consequences and there is no evidence that it can prevent measles.

The only way to prevent measles virus infection is through the measles-sugar-rubila (MMR) vaccine, which is 97% effective for measles after both doses. Kennedy said he did “encourage” vaccination, but it was a “personal choice.”

“If people have the wrong impression that you can choose or choose an MMR vaccine or vitamin A, you will attract a lot of kids to unnecessarily get measles. This is a problem, especially during the pandemic,” said Peter Hotelz, PhD, dean of the National School of Medicine at Texas Children's Hospital Development and Medicine. “Secondly, you have this unregulated drug in terms of dosage and potential toxicity.”

Vitamin A can play a role in measles treatment under the care of a doctor. That's why in severe cases, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend it. But patients who are reportedly toxic may not be taking vitamins under the supervision of their doctors, Johnson said.

Vitamin A is most useful for measles support in people with specific defects, and studies have shown that its use is mostly drawn from evidence from low-income countries. Patients in West Texas, West Texas are usually malnourished, so experts say how beneficial vitamins may be in this case.

Vitamin A plays an important role in immunity and vision. It is fat-soluble, so when someone takes too much it can build up in organs like the liver. Excess vitamin A can cause dry skin, blurred vision, sparse bones, skin irritation, liver damage and other serious problems. In pregnant women, excess vitamin A can lead to birth defects.

Mom says toxic patients can receive supportive care, such as liquids for hypotension or moisturizers for dry skin. However, more serious damage needs to be assessed and further managed.

“When vitamins stop, acute toxic patients may recover quickly,” she said. “Chronic toxicity affects bones, brain, and of course the liver.

The Nutrition Committee, a trade association that manufactures dietary supplements and functional foods, issued a statement Wednesday warning parents not to use large doses of vitamin A to try to prevent their children from getting measles.

“Although vitamin A plays an important role in supporting overall immune function, research has not determined its effectiveness in preventing measles infection. CRN is concerned about reports of inappropriate use of high doses of vitamin A, especially in children,” the statement said.

Johnson said she has seen people taking vitamin A for measles treatment and prevention. She said she didn't know where these patients heard they should take a lot of vitamin A, but the method was discussed a lot on social media.

“This is coming out of health and wellness… The influential industry underestimates the importance of vaccines and tries to promote a variety of spectacular treatments, such as ivevermectin or hydroxychloroquine or vitamin A,” said Hotelz.

Ivermectin, a deworming drug and hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, are wrongly touted as a treatment for the COVID-19 pandemic, but have resulted in many poison control reports and estimated $200 million in unnecessary spending. Experts worry that in a common process, the rampant misinformation of the drug can reflect rhetoric about vitamin A that prevents measles.

Kennedy endorsed an unconventional treatment for measles including steroids, an antibiotic and cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamin A. He praised two Westexas doctors, who he said they said they used this remedy on patients and saw “almost miracle and instantaneous recovery.”

The antibiotic clarithromycin may be an attempt to prevent secondary bacterial infections such as pneumonia, but limited evidence is limited. Budsoude is a steroid with multiple uses, but it is not clear whether or how it can help patients with measles.

Now, in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, the measles outbreak has affected at least 379 people. Kansas reported 23 measles cases and officials said Wednesday they could also be related to the outbreak.

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