Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.‘s statement on the recent measles outbreak in Texas and other states — which has sickened at least 146 people and killed one child — has drawn controversy. After previously describing measles outbreaks as “not unusual,” Kennedy now calls the situation “serious” and vaccination a “crucial” tool. Even so, Kennedy wrote forcefully of the benefits of using Vitamin A to treat measles but only tentatively advocated vaccines. During President Trump’s first term, officials responded to measles outbreaks by explicitly encouraging vaccination and wrote to “assure patients about the efficacy and safety of the measles vaccine.”

Director of Cato Health Policy Studies,Michael F. Cannon writes “It is a mistake for Secretary Kennedy to prioritize treating measles with Vitamin A, or even to put that treatment on a par with vaccination. As a public health official, his priority should be stopping the spread of contagion rather than telling doctors how to treat it. The best available tool by far for reducing measles morbidity and mortality is vaccination. Any benefits Vitamin A may have can come only after the patient has exposed others to the disease. Prioritizing or putting Vitamin A on a par with vaccines itself suggests a Vitamin A deficiency and an unscientific approach to public health. The fact that a sitting Secretary of Health and Human Services is deploying such a strategy argues against centralizing so much power over public health in one office.”

Senior Fellow Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer writes “It is gratifying to see Secretary Kennedy point out the benefits of the measles vaccine, to both individuals and society. And, I agree that getting vaccinated is a personal choice. People should be persuaded, not coerced into getting vaccinated. There is some evidence that Vitamin A can help people fight off viral infections by enhancing the immune system, and some studies suggest it may reduce mortality and complications in children infected with measles. But Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that can have serious side effects if people take it in too great an amount, including liver damage, birth defects in pregnant women taking it, and bone thinning. Vitamin A toxicity is a real thing. While he suggested people should take Vitamin A “under a physician’s supervision,” he did not explain the reason. I find it somewhat ironic that RFK Jr, a person who has warned for years that vaccines can have dangerous side effects, didn’t say the same about Vitamin A.”

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