“We know from studies decades ago that vitamin A supplementation for people with measles can decrease – but not eliminate – the risk of death and severe disease,” he said, adding that undernourished children are more likely to experience severe symptoms and die from measles.
But he issued a warning about the risks of taking too much of it: “It builds up in the body.” It may harm the liver. Damage to the central nervous system may result from it. It is not a harmless treatment and may result in skin problems.
By stating that there is “no evidence that that helps in any way and giving a supplement that has an unknown amount of things in it is unlikely to be helpful,” he also disregarded cod liver oil as beneficial.
The girl’s mother stated that she thinks she was vaccinated, but she still displayed measles symptoms. According to Dr. Varma, this is feasible.
“There is a chance that someone who received a single dose of the vaccine could contract measles if they come into contact with measles,” he stated. “It sounds like her course was fairly mild, and those people frequently have milder disease than those who haven’t been vaccinated.”
His main point was straightforward: lives are at stake and immunizations are effective. “We have been using the vaccine for 60 years now, and it is safe and very effective,” he stated. There is a lot of false information out there, and when that degree of false information is there, vaccination rates decline and major outbreaks like the one currently occurring in West Texas occur.
“An adult has passed away in New Mexico, and we have already lost a child in this outbreak. “Both of those deaths could have been avoided,” Dr. Varma continued. “This is all preventable because measles is not expected to be a leading cause of death in the United States in 2025.”
