Medical professionals caution against using Vitamin A instead of the MMR vaccine for children during measles outbreak

HOUSTON, Texas — Medical experts are discussing a new concern related to the measles outbreak originating in West Texas. Nearly all the affected individuals have two common characteristics: they are children and they are not vaccinated. Some parents, in an attempt to safeguard their children, are providing them with Vitamin A instead of vaccination shots.

Vitamin A has been advocated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other skeptics of vaccines. They argue that it can significantly lower measles-related deaths. However, medical professionals have clarified that Vitamin A does not prevent measles nor directly combat the virus as a treatment. ABC News has verified that unvaccinated children are now being hospitalized in Lubbock with symptoms of Vitamin A toxicity.

“Administering Vitamin A to non-deficient children will not shield them from measles in any manner. It’s important to note that Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. Overdosing on Vitamin A can occur, and we are seeing instances of children experiencing Vitamin A toxicity and liver damage. Please avoid giving your children Vitamin A in a misguided effort to prevent measles. It is ineffective and can be harmful to your children,” cautioned Dr. Linda Yancey from Memorial Hermann Health.

Dr. Yancey also said measles is a winter-time virus. There’s hope that the change in seasons will slow the spread, but there’s also fresh concern among medical professionals on the heels of funding cuts and firings within federal health organizations.