Latest news with #TexasChildren'sHospitalCenterforVaccineDevelopment
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Multistate measles outbreak leads to dangerous vitamin A toxicity
As a measles outbreak spreads across the United States, doctors are now seeing a new and unexpected danger: children getting sick from taking too much vitamin A. At Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, several unvaccinated children showed signs of liver problems after taking large amounts of vitamin A, according to Dr. Lara Johnson, the hospital's chief medical officer. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promoted vitamin A during the outbreak, even suggesting it might help prevent measles. But doctors say this isn't true. "If people have the mistaken impression that you have an either-or choice of MMR vaccine or vitamin A, you're going to get a lot of kids unnecessarily infected with measles. That's a problem, especially during an epidemic," Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN. "And second, you have this unregulated medicine in terms of doses being given and potential toxicities," Hotez said. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is the only proven way to prevent measles. It is 97% effective after two doses. Kennedy has said he encourages vaccines, but considers vaccination a personal choice. Vitamin A can be helpful for people with measles when given in the right dose by a doctor. But taking too much, especially without medical supervision, can be dangerous. Vitamin A is fat-soluble and can build up in the body. This can lead to dry skin, blurry vision, bone problems and liver damage. In pregnant women, it can even cause birth defects. Dr. Lesley Motheral, a pediatrician in Lubbock, said kids in Texas are generally well-nourished and don't need extra vitamin A. "Recovery for patients with acute toxicity can be rapid when the vitamin is discontinued," Motheral said. "Sadly, some of the more serious problems with vitamin A toxicity are not always reversible." The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a group representing supplement makers, also warned parents not to give their children high doses of vitamin A. "While vitamin A plays an important role in supporting overall immune function, research hasn't established its effectiveness in preventing measles infection. CRN is concerned about reports of high-dose vitamin A being used inappropriately, especially in children," it said in a statement. Johnson said some parents may be following questionable advice from social media or health influencers. "It's coming out of the health and wellness ... influencer industry that downplays the importance of vaccines and tries to promote various spectacular cures like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine or vitamin A," Hotez added. In a recent interview with Fox News, Kennedy promoted a treatment plan that includes vitamin A, a steroid, an antibiotic and cod liver oil, but doctors say there's little to no proof this works for measles. The measles outbreak has now affected at least 378 people in 17 states, from Texas and New Mexico to Vermont, New York and Washington. More information The Mayo Clinic has more on measles, including symptoms and causes. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
CNN
27-03-2025
- Health
- CNN
Some measles patients in West Texas show signs of vitamin A toxicity, doctors say, raising concerns about misinformation
Doctors treating people hospitalized as part of a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico have also found themselves facing another problem: vitamin A toxicity. At Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, near the outbreak's epicenter, several patients have been found to have abnormal liver function on routine lab tests, a probable sign that they've taken too much of the vitamin, according to Dr. Lara Johnson, pediatric hospitalist and chief medical officer for Covenant Health-Lubbock Service Area. The hospitalized children with the toxicity were all unvaccinated. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has centered his response to the outbreak on vitamin A, even suggesting in a Fox News interview that it could work 'as a prophylaxis.' But overuse of vitamin A can have serious health consequences, and there is no evidence that it can prevent measles. The only way to prevent infection with the measles virus is through the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is 97% effective against measles after two doses. Kennedy has said that he does 'encourage' vaccination but that it is a 'personal choice.' 'If people have the mistaken impression that you have an either-or choice of MMR vaccine or vitamin A, you're going to get a lot of kids unnecessarily infected with measles. That's a problem, especially during an epidemic,' said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. 'And second, you have this unregulated medicine in terms of doses being given and potential toxicities.' In specific doses taken under the care of a physician, vitamin A can play a role in treatment for measles. That's why the World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend it in serious cases. But the patients who were reported to have toxicity were probably not taking the vitamin under the supervision of a physician, Johnson said. Vitamin A is most useful for measles support in people who have a specific deficiency, and studies suggesting its use mainly draw on evidence from low-income countries where that deficiency is common. The patients in West Texas are generally well-nourished, said Dr. Lesley Motheral, a pediatrician in Lubbock, so experts say it's unclear how beneficial the vitamin might be in this setting. 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. Excess vitamin A can cause dry skin and eyes, blurry vision, bone thinning, skin irritation, liver damage and other serious issues. In pregnant women, excess vitamin A can lead to birth defects. Patients with toxicity can receive supportive care like fluids for low blood pressure or moisturizers for dry skin and eyes, Motheral said. But more serious damage will need to be evaluated and given further management. 'Recovery for patients with acute toxicity can be rapid when the vitamin is discontinued,' she said. 'Chronic toxicity can affect bones, brain and of course the liver. … Sadly, some of the more serious problems with vitamin A toxicity are not always reversible.' The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association for dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, issued a statement Wednesday warning parents against using high doses of vitamin A to try to keep their children from getting measles. 'While vitamin A plays an important role in supporting overall immune function, research hasn't established its effectiveness in preventing measles infection. CRN is concerned about reports of high-dose vitamin A being used inappropriately, especially in children,' the statement says. Johnson said she has seen people who were taking vitamin A for measles treatment as well as for prevention. She doesn't know exactly where these patients heard that they should be taking a lot of vitamin A, she said, but the approach is heavily discussed on social media. 'It's coming out of the health and wellness … influencer industry that downplays the importance of vaccines and tries to promote various spectacular cures like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine or vitamin A,' Hotez said. Ivermectin, a deworming medication, and hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, were both incorrectly touted as treatments for the Covid-19 pandemic but resulted in many poison control reports and an estimated $200 million in unnecessary spending. Experts worry that the drug misinformation so rampant during Covid could mirror rhetoric about vitamin A for measles prevention. In his Fox News interview, Kennedy endorsed an unconventional treatment regimen for measles including a steroid, an antibiotic and cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamin A. He praised two West Texas doctors who he said were using this remedy on their patients and had seen 'almost miraculous and instantaneous recovery.' The antibiotic, clarithromycin, could be an attempt to prevent secondary bacterial infections like pneumonia, but evidence for that is limited. Budesonide is a steroid with a variety of uses, but it's not clear whether or how it might help someone with measles. The measles outbreak has now affected at least 379 people across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Kansas has reported 23 measles cases, and officials said Wednesday that they may also be linked to the outbreak.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Some measles patients in West Texas show signs of vitamin A toxicity, doctors say, raising concerns about misinformation
Doctors treating people hospitalized as part of a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico have also found themselves facing another problem: vitamin A toxicity. At Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, near the outbreak's epicenter, several patients have been found to have abnormal liver function on routine lab tests, a probable sign that they've taken too much of the vitamin, according to Dr. Lara Johnson, pediatric hospitalist and chief medical officer for Covenant Health-Lubbock Service Area. The hospitalized children with the toxicity were all unvaccinated. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has centered his response to the outbreak on vitamin A, even suggesting in a Fox News interview that it could work 'as a prophylaxis.' But overuse of vitamin A can have serious health consequences, and there is no evidence that it can prevent measles. The only way to prevent infection with the measles virus is through the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is 97% effective against measles after two doses. Kennedy has said that he does 'encourage' vaccination but that it is a 'personal choice.' 'If people have the mistaken impression that you have an either-or choice of MMR vaccine or vitamin A, you're going to get a lot of kids unnecessarily infected with measles. That's a problem, especially during an epidemic,' said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. 'And second, you have this unregulated medicine in terms of doses being given and potential toxicities.' In specific doses taken under the care of a physician, vitamin A can play a role in treatment for measles. That's why the World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend it in serious cases. But the patients who were reported to have toxicity were probably not taking the vitamin under the supervision of a physician, Johnson said. Vitamin A is most useful for measles support in people who have a specific deficiency, and studies suggesting its use mainly draw on evidence from low-income countries where that deficiency is common. The patients in West Texas are generally well-nourished, said Dr. Lesley Motheral, a pediatrician in Lubbock, so experts say it's unclear how beneficial the vitamin might be in this setting. 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. Excess vitamin A can cause dry skin and eyes, blurry vision, bone thinning, skin irritation, liver damage and other serious issues. In pregnant women, excess vitamin A can lead to birth defects. Patients with toxicity can receive supportive care like fluids for low blood pressure or moisturizers for dry skin and eyes, Motheral said. But more serious damage will need to be evaluated and given further management. 'Recovery for patients with acute toxicity can be rapid when the vitamin is discontinued,' she said. 'Chronic toxicity can affect bones, brain and of course the liver. … Sadly, some of the more serious problems with vitamin A toxicity are not always reversible.' The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association for dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, issued a statement Wednesday warning parents against using high doses of vitamin A to try to keep their children from getting measles. 'While vitamin A plays an important role in supporting overall immune function, research hasn't established its effectiveness in preventing measles infection. CRN is concerned about reports of high-dose vitamin A being used inappropriately, especially in children,' the statement says. Johnson said she has seen people who were taking vitamin A for measles treatment as well as for prevention. She doesn't know exactly where these patients heard that they should be taking a lot of vitamin A, she said, but the approach is heavily discussed on social media. 'It's coming out of the health and wellness … influencer industry that downplays the importance of vaccines and tries to promote various spectacular cures like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine or vitamin A,' Hotez said. Ivermectin, a deworming medication, and hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, were both incorrectly touted as treatments for the Covid-19 pandemic but resulted in many poison control reports and an estimated $200 million in unnecessary spending. Experts worry that the drug misinformation so rampant during Covid could mirror rhetoric about vitamin A for measles prevention. In his Fox News interview, Kennedy endorsed an unconventional treatment regimen for measles including a steroid, an antibiotic and cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamin A. He praised two West Texas doctors who he said were using this remedy on their patients and had seen 'almost miraculous and instantaneous recovery.' The antibiotic, clarithromycin, could be an attempt to prevent secondary bacterial infections like pneumonia, but evidence for that is limited. Budesonide is a steroid with a variety of uses, but it's not clear whether or how it might help someone with measles. The measles outbreak has now affected at least 379 people across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Kansas has reported 23 measles cases, and officials said Wednesday that they may also be linked to the outbreak.
CNN
27-03-2025
- Health
- CNN
Some measles patients in West Texas show signs of vitamin A toxicity, doctors say, raising concerns about misinformation
Doctors treating people hospitalized as part of a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico have also found themselves facing another problem: vitamin A toxicity. At Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, near the outbreak's epicenter, several patients have been found to have abnormal liver function on routine lab tests, a probable sign that they've taken too much of the vitamin, according to Dr. Lara Johnson, pediatric hospitalist and chief medical officer for Covenant Health-Lubbock Service Area. The hospitalized children with the toxicity were all unvaccinated. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has centered his response to the outbreak on vitamin A, even suggesting in a Fox News interview that it could work 'as a prophylaxis.' But overuse of vitamin A can have serious health consequences, and there is no evidence that it can prevent measles. The only way to prevent infection with the measles virus is through the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is 97% effective against measles after two doses. Kennedy has said that he does 'encourage' vaccination but that it is a 'personal choice.' 'If people have the mistaken impression that you have an either-or choice of MMR vaccine or vitamin A, you're going to get a lot of kids unnecessarily infected with measles. That's a problem, especially during an epidemic,' said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. 'And second, you have this unregulated medicine in terms of doses being given and potential toxicities.' In specific doses taken under the care of a physician, vitamin A can play a role in treatment for measles. That's why the World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend it in serious cases. But the patients who were reported to have toxicity were probably not taking the vitamin under the supervision of a physician, Johnson said. Vitamin A is most useful for measles support in people who have a specific deficiency, and studies suggesting its use mainly draw on evidence from low-income countries where that deficiency is common. The patients in West Texas are generally well-nourished, said Dr. Lesley Motheral, a pediatrician in Lubbock, so experts say it's unclear how beneficial the vitamin might be in this setting. 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. Excess vitamin A can cause dry skin and eyes, blurry vision, bone thinning, skin irritation, liver damage and other serious issues. In pregnant women, excess vitamin A can lead to birth defects. Patients with toxicity can receive supportive care like fluids for low blood pressure or moisturizers for dry skin and eyes, Motheral said. But more serious damage will need to be evaluated and given further management. 'Recovery for patients with acute toxicity can be rapid when the vitamin is discontinued,' she said. 'Chronic toxicity can affect bones, brain and of course the liver. … Sadly, some of the more serious problems with vitamin A toxicity are not always reversible.' The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association for dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, issued a statement Wednesday warning parents against using high doses of vitamin A to try to keep their children from getting measles. 'While vitamin A plays an important role in supporting overall immune function, research hasn't established its effectiveness in preventing measles infection. CRN is concerned about reports of high-dose vitamin A being used inappropriately, especially in children,' the statement says. Johnson said she has seen people who were taking vitamin A for measles treatment as well as for prevention. She doesn't know exactly where these patients heard that they should be taking a lot of vitamin A, she said, but the approach is heavily discussed on social media. 'It's coming out of the health and wellness … influencer industry that downplays the importance of vaccines and tries to promote various spectacular cures like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine or vitamin A,' Hotez said. Ivermectin, a deworming medication, and hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, were both incorrectly touted as treatments for the Covid-19 pandemic but resulted in many poison control reports and an estimated $200 million in unnecessary spending. Experts worry that the drug misinformation so rampant during Covid could mirror rhetoric about vitamin A for measles prevention. In his Fox News interview, Kennedy endorsed an unconventional treatment regimen for measles including a steroid, an antibiotic and cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamin A. He praised two West Texas doctors who he said were using this remedy on their patients and had seen 'almost miraculous and instantaneous recovery.' The antibiotic, clarithromycin, could be an attempt to prevent secondary bacterial infections like pneumonia, but evidence for that is limited. Budesonide is a steroid with a variety of uses, but it's not clear whether or how it might help someone with measles. The measles outbreak has now affected at least 379 people across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Kansas has reported 23 measles cases, and officials said Wednesday that they may also be linked to the outbreak.
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Texas measles outbreak: Here's why it's not going away anytime soon
Over 130 people in rural Texas and New Mexico have been infected with measles ‒ and the nation's largest outbreak in six years is projected to keep surging. What began in a tight-knit West Texas Mennonite community, has expanded to other under-vaccinated communities, including across state lines. Experts warn that communities with low immunization rates, such as these, are primed for measles' spread. 'We're still in free-fall,' Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, told USA TODAY. 'It still has a lot of energy and steam behind it,' he said of the measles outbreak. 'And that energy and steam are all the unvaccinated kids.' How did measles outbreak start? The outbreak began less than a month ago when several unvaccinated children in Gaines County, Texas, were identified as having measles. At this time, it's unclear how the first person was exposed, and there's no indication that any early patients traveled outside the United States, said Lara Anton, a spokesperson for Texas' health department. As of Tuesday, 124 people were known to be infected, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, including 18 of whom had been hospitalized. In abutting New Mexico, state health officials suspect their measles outbreak, with nine people identified, is connected to the Texas cases. Texas health officials announced Monday that more people were likely exposured to the virus after a contagious Gaines County resident traveled to several locations in and around San Antonio, nearly 400 miles away. The person visited two public universities, tourist attractions around San Antonio's famed River Walk, and a Buc-ee's along Texas' Interstate 35, among other locations, officials warned. Measles is so contagious that, typically, kindergarten vaccination rates have to reach 95% for a community to remain protected against outbreaks. If vaccinated twice in early childhood, adults typically do not need additional protection against measles, according to the CDC. Six other states, from Alaska to New York, have also recently seen separate, isolated cases of measles, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Last year there were 285 measles cases nationwide ‒ a record number since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC data showed. In 2019 there was a large outbreak among unvaccinated Orthodox Jewish communities in New York. In 2022 there were 121 measles cases reported nationwide and last year, an outbreak in a Chicago migrant shelter ended up infecting 57 people. Since vaccines became widely available in the 1960s, cases have declined precipitously. In 2000, measles was declared eliminated. However, outbreaks have resurfaced with declines in vaccination rates, due in part to vaccine hesitancy and skepticism. Most measles cases in the U.S. are brought by international travelers and then spread, largely among unvaccinated Americans. Rural, under-vaccinated community at center of outbreak In Gaines County, the epicenter of Texas' outbreak, 80 cases have been identified by state health officials so far. Just over 20,000 people live in Gaines, a rural county that touts itself as a leader in peanuts, cotton, oil and natural gas. A week ago, Anton had said the outbreak was concentrated in a close-knit, under-vaccinated Mennonite community, where many opted to homeschool children or send them to private schools. In an email Saturday, she said the biggest factor in measles' spread was among people who are 'under-vaccinated.' The region is very rural, with people having to travel at least 30 to 40 miles to get preventative care, including vaccinations, she said. 'We'd like to draw attention to how the virus spreads and why that makes it particularly difficult to contain if people are not vaccinated,' Anton said. Last school year, state data showed vaccination coverage for students in Gaines was among the lowest in Texas and well below the 95% considered protective. Fewer than 82% of kindergartners in Gaines were vaccinated against measles. In the county's small Loop Independent School District, with about 150 students, only 46% of kindergarten students were vaccinated. Eight other Texas counties also have cases, state data shows. Most of those also have vaccination rates below 95%. 'It will spread if it is not at 95%,' Dr. Richard Lampe, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, in Lubbock, told USA TODAY. 'I've seen it happen, and it's happening right now in our area.' Close call in Lubbock clinic for highly infectious disease Two weeks ago, Lampe's clinic saw a family who traveled about 60 miles from Gaines to see a pediatric specialist. While the child was in the room with the doctor, the mother told clinic staff he had had measles the week before. The child was not vaccinated. Clinic staff was initially worried the boy might have been contagious but his rash had subsided four days earlier, which meant he was no longer infectious. The measles virus is highly contagious, remaining in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves, according to the CDC. Someone who is contagious can infect as many as 18 others. A challenge with the Gaines outbreak is many people have limited English, speaking the German dialect of the Mennonite community, or a combination of German and Spanish, Lampe said. West Texas and eastern New Mexico have tight-knit communities that travel back and forth across state lines, he said. In a German-language Mennonite newspaper community brief dated Jan. 27 — three days before Texas officials announced cases in Gaines County — two people from Seminole, the county's largest city, wrote about measles in their community. 'Oh yes, there are a lot of sick people here,' Johann and Katharina Neustädter said in Die Mennonitische Post. 'Many have fever or diarrhea, vomiting or measles. Also headaches and colds. That's not good." Just across from Gaines County, in eastern New Mexico, nine cases have been identified in Lea County. Religious affiliation isn't a factor in New Mexico's outbreak, David Morgan, a spokesperson for the state health department, said in an email. Of the nine identified cases, Morgan said, all four school-age children weren't vaccinated, while two adults weren't vaccinated and three other adults had no known vaccination status. What are measles symptoms? People can spread measles before they even show symptoms of the viral infection, which can present like other circulating respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19 and flu. But measles is even more contagious. 'It's probably one of the most infectious diseases that exists,' Dr. Meghan Brett, a hospital epidemiologist at the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, told USA TODAY. In addition to respiratory symptoms, people with measles may also have conjunctivitis, or eye redness. Small white bumps can begin to appear in a person's mouth two to three days after symptom onset, CDC said. Once a fever subsides, the person develops a rash, the telltale sign of measles, which starts at their head and goes down to their toes. Someone is infectious from before symptoms show, until four days after the rash appears, said Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin. About one in five unvaccinated people who catch measles require hospitalization, according to CDC. One in 20 children infected end up with pneumonia, the most common cause of death among children. Around 1 in 1,000 children who contract measles develop encephalitis, or brain inflammation, that can lead to deafness, convulsions or intellectual disabilities. Between 1 and 3 out of 1,000 children infected die from respiratory or neurologic complications. Unvaccinated women who are pregnant can have babies born prematurely or low birthweight, which can cause long-term issues for a child's development. People with weakened immune systems, such as those in cancer treatment, are also at increased risk of severe illness from measles. The measles vaccine, which comes along with protection against mumps and rubella, is 97% effective against measles with two doses. Even one dose can provide 93% protection, and it can be protective even after exposure to the virus. 'Let's prevent what's preventable,' Brown said. 'And this is a highly preventable infection.' Mary Walrath-Holdridge of USA TODAY contributed to this report.
