As measles instances spike in Texas, affecting 159 folks, hospitalizing 22, and claiming the lifetime of a school-aged little one, U.S. Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed “deep concern” concerning the outbreak whereas selling an unconventional remedy protocol.
“Because the Secretary of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies, I’m deeply involved concerning the latest measles outbreak,” Kennedy Jr. mentioned in an announcement.
In a Fox Information interview, Kennedy Jr. praised measles remedy utilizing vitamin A, the steroid budesonide, the antibiotic clarithromycin, and cod liver oil, claiming they yield “good outcomes.” Nonetheless, well being specialists warn that it shouldn’t exchange vaccination and warning towards counting on it totally.
Measles is a extremely contagious virus that spreads via the air when an contaminated particular person coughs or sneezes. It begins with fever, cough, and purple, watery eyes earlier than a telltale rash seems. Whereas most instances resolve on their very own, problems like pneumonia, blindness, and mind irritation might be extreme, particularly for unvaccinated people.
Kennedy Jr. acknowledged that vaccines not solely shield particular person kids from measles but in addition contribute to neighborhood immunity, safeguarding those that can’t be vaccinated for medical causes. Nonetheless, in an opinion piece on Fox Nation, Kennedy Jr. mentioned the choice to vaccinate youngsters will probably be a private selection. In the meantime, he emphasised the significance of fine vitamin and the consumption of nutritional vitamins resembling A, B12, C, D, and E because the “greatest protection towards” continual and infectious sicknesses.
He additionally pointed to a 2010 research exhibiting that two doses of vitamin A remedy lowered measles mortality by 62%. The identical research discovered that the measles vaccine is very efficient, with one dose stopping 85–95% of instances and two doses as much as 98%.
Since vaccines stay the one confirmed solution to stop outbreaks, some medical doctors fear that selling unconventional therapies throughout a surge might undermine vaccination efforts and gas misinformation on-line.
The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) reaffirmed final week that vaccination stays the strongest protection towards measles, as no particular antiviral remedy exists. Nonetheless, the company acknowledged that supportive care, together with vitamin A administration underneath the steering of a doctor might assist in managing the an infection.
“Counting on vitamin A as an alternative of the vaccine shouldn’t be solely harmful and ineffective, however it places kids at severe danger,” Dr. Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, instructed The Washington Publish.
Specialists like Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar on the Johns Hopkins Middle for Well being Safety believes that supplementation with vitamin A helps in instances the place there are deficiencies however it “actually would not have a lot of a job within the present dialogue on the West Texas measles epidemic as a result of it turns into a distraction about what we actually must deal with, which is vaccinating our children.”
