3 days Ago
More and more children living in Texas are starting to get diagnosed with liver damage due to high doses of cod liver oil, amid the measles outbreak that has affected 400 people in Texas alone this year. Cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamin A, has been touted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, as a cure, even suggesting it could work as “prophylaxis” for measles.
At Covenant Children’s’ Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, near the epicenter of the measles outbreak, several unvaccinated patients being hospitalized for measles have been found to have elevated liver enzymes on routine lab work, with the likely explanation that they have been taking too much vitamin A which can cause liver damage when taken excessively. So what does the science say about vitamin A? Should it be used to treat and/or prevent measles? Is there any role for vitamin A to help curb or mitigate the spread of measles? Measles is a viral infection and there is no specific anti-viral medication used to treat the disease. The only evidence-based proven method to prevent measles is through vaccination, which provides 97% protection against the virus when given two shots.
Vitamin A, however, can have a limited role in treating measles in some patients. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is critical in bolstering immune function, vision and reproductive health. The vast majority of Americans receive vitamin A through the diet from foods such as milk, eggs, cheese, cereals, green vegetables, fish and meat.
Although very uncommon in America, vitamin A deficiency is much more common in low- and middle-income countries due to lack of access of foods rich in vitamin A. Multiple studies have shown an association between vitamin A deficiency and the severity of measles infections and the greater likelihood of such patients experiencing measles-related complications. Complications of measles infection include pneumonia, or infection of the lung, encephalitis or swelling of the brain, blindness and even death.
Vitamin A, although having a clear role for measles in low-income countries where vitamin A deficiency is more common, has little to no role in America where the vast majority of Americans do not have depleted vitamin A stores. In addition, getting too much vitamin A can cause serious problems, as is what is occurring in the hospitalized children in Texas. Vitamin A toxicity can lead to dry skin, blurry vision, liver damage, weakened bones and even birth defects for pregnant women.
Patients that are showing signs of vitamin A toxicity should stop using the vitamin immediately, and seek medical care at a hospital. Treatment is usually supportive and involves receiving intravenous fluids and diuretics to flush out the vitamin from the body. The hospitalized children being treated for measles in Texas were all unvaccinated and had been taking vitamin A as a substitute for the vaccine.
Vitamin A is not a substitute for the vaccine and does not prevent the disease. There are very few vaccines that are as highly effective as the MMR vaccine in preventing disease, with the MMR vaccine offering 97% protection against measles. The situation in Texas underscores the importance of clear messaging in order to save as many lives as possible.
One child has already died, and public health experts, government officials and media must ensure that the appropriate message is conveyed to all parents- only vaccines can prevent measles, and parents must vaccinate their children in order to contain the spread of the virus. For children that have measles and are vitamin A deficient, two doses of the vitamin can be given under physician supervision over the course of two days..
