This is an update to my article that appeared in the March 25 edition of the Cape Gazette.
As of March 28, there are now more than 450 measles cases in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. An new outbreak in Kansas involves 23 patients. Several cases have now appeared across the border in Mexico. Nearby, a resident of Bucks County, Pa., contracted measles after traveling to Texas.
At Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, they are now treating several unvaccinated children with measles who also have liver damage from vitamin A toxicity. These children were given high doses of vitamin A in hopes of preventing measles. Vitamin A has an important role in immunity and vision. It’s fat-soluble, so when someone takes too much, it can accumulate in organs like the liver, causing damage and dysfunction. It can also cause dry skin and eyes, blurry vision, bone thinning and skin irritation.
Vitamin A can be used in the treatment of serious cases of measles, especially in low-income countries where vitamin deficiency is common. It should only be given under the supervision of a physician, so proper doses are given. There is absolutely no evidence that vitamin A prevents measles. It should not be given for that purpose. Only the MMR vaccine prevents measles.
Although the first dose of the MMR vaccine is routinely given at 12 to 15 months of age, it should be given as early as 6 months of age under certain circumstances: international travel, during a local outbreak, or if traveling to an area in which there is an outbreak. Any doses given before one year of age don’t count, and the regular two-dose series starting at one year of age is still required for full immunity.
My finishing statement, as a pediatrician who has been practicing for over 45 years: MMR is very safe and prevents measles. Vitamin A is very dangerous and does not prevent measles.
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