As measles spreads in the US, RFK Jr embraces remedies such as cod liver oil
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Mr Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed Texas doctors had seen “very, very good results", by treating measles cases with a steroid, an antibiotic and cod liver oil.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Teddy Rosenbluth
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WASHINGTON - As a measles outbreak expands in West Texas, Mr Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary on March 4 cheered several unconventional treatments including cod liver oil, but again did not urge Americans to get vaccinated.
In a pre-recorded interview that aired on Fox News, Mr Kennedy said that the federal government was shipping doses of vitamin A to Gaines county, the epicentre of the outbreak, and helping to arrange ambulance rides.
HHS officials previously said they were shipping doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine to Texas, but Mr Kennedy did not discuss vaccination.
Texas doctors had seen “very, very good results”, Mr Kennedy claimed, by treating measles cases with a steroid, budesonide; an antibiotic called clarithromycin; and cod liver oil, which he said had high levels of vitamin A and vitamin D.
While physicians sometimes administer doses of vitamin A to treat children with severe measles cases, cod liver oil is “by no means” an evidence-based treatment, said Dr Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases.
Dr O’Leary added that he had never heard of a physician using the supplement against measles.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced on March 4 that it would send some of its “disease detectives” to Texas to help bolster the effort to turn back the virus.
The outbreak shows no signs of slowing, according to data released on March 4 by state health officials. The Texas Department of Health reported that since late January, nearly 160 people have contracted measles – 20 more cases than reported on Feb 28 – and 22 have been hospitalised.
The news comes amid criticism of federal officials for underplaying the need for immunisations with the MMR vaccine, one of the most important tools in quelling an outbreak.
The dimensions of the outbreak, which has already killed one child, are unclear. The official case number in the Texas outbreak is most likely an under-count, said Ms Katherine Wells, the director of public health in Lubbock, Texas.
A county in New Mexico that borders Gaines County has reported nine measles cases.
While most measles cases resolve in a few weeks, in rare cases the virus can cause pneumonia or brain swelling, which can lead to blindness, deafness and intellectual disabilities.
About one in five people who catch measles will be hospitalised, according to the CDC. The virus also weakens the immune system in the long term, making its host more susceptible to future infections. NYTIMES
