Child Vitamin A Exposures Jump 38.7% After RFK Jr. Promoted Measles Treatment

3 articles · Updated · HuffPost · Jun 12

U.S. poison-center data showed child vitamin A exposures rose 38.7% from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2025, compared with a year earlier, a study linked to interest in measles remedies.
Online searches for “vitamin A” and “measles” climbed 44% on Feb. 26 and 100% on March 22 after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly touted vitamin A and cod liver oil during the Texas outbreak.
Doctors said vitamin A can help treat severe measles in hospitals, but Kennedy omitted key context that it does not prevent infection and that MMR vaccination remains the main protection.
More than 90% of U.S. measles cases this year and last year were in unvaccinated people, and declining childhood vaccination rates are fueling outbreaks that threaten the country's measles-elimination status.
Public-health experts warned misinformation spreads quickly on social media—where 36% of people get health information—and could deepen vaccine hesitancy and future outbreak risks.

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HuffPost8h ago

RFK Jr.'s Vitamin A Measles Treatment Suggestion Linked to Increased Child Exposures

healthandme.com23h ago

Vitamin A Poisonings Rose In US After RFK Jr. Promoted It As A Measles Treatment, Study Finds | Health and Me

Yahoo! Voices8h ago

Vitamin A Toxicity Increased After RFK Jr. Suggested It As A Measles Treatment

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Measles Resurgence and Vitamin A Poisonings in 2025: The Deadly Cost of Vaccine Misinformation

Overview

In 2025, falling vaccination rates in the US led to a major measles outbreak, threatening the country’s elimination status. As measles cases surged, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted unproven remedies like vitamin A and undermined trust in the MMR vaccine. His public statements and policies fueled vaccine hesitancy, causing more people to avoid vaccination and turn to unsafe alternatives. This resulted in a spike in vitamin A exposures, especially among children, and highlighted how misinformation from influential figures can worsen public health crises and lead to preventable harm.

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