CNN
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is seeking alternative therapies such as vitamins from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the agency’s “scientific process” regarding alternative therapies such as vitamins, as well as the agency’s “scientific process” for treating measles and other conditions, HHS said in a statement.
The HHS statement said “The CDC continues to recommend the measles vaccination as the most effective way to prevent disease,” and has publicly encouraged measles vaccinations while Kennedy himself says it is a “personal” option.
However, “we recognize that some individuals and communities in the United States may choose not to get vaccinated,” the HHS statement said. “Our commitment is to support all families (regardless of their vaccination status) to reduce the risk of hospitalizations, serious complications and death from measles.”
“Chief Kennedy plans to treat single or multiple existing drugs in combination with vitamins and other modalities to activate the scientific process to treat many diseases, including measles,” the statement said. “This initiative includes collaborations with universities across the country, developing protocols, conducting testing, and pursuing approval for new uses for safe and effective treatments that meet the highest scientific standards.”
With measles outbreaks concentrated in western Texas continuing to grow, reaching nearly 800 cases as of this week, disease experts fear Kennedy is focusing on unconventional treatments such as cod liver oil, the antibiotic clarithromycin and steroid budesonide.
“There are doctors in these communities who teach other doctors how to treat the disease with aerosolized steroids, budesonide, clarithromycin and more,” Kennedy said Monday at a City Hall event hosted by Dr. PhilmcGrow.
Measles – The Mumpsulvera (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles after the recommended two doses, but there is no specific treatment for measles after someone is infected.
In severe cases, doctors can provide treatments such as supplementary oxygen and liquids to help patients overcome their worst illnesses. The CDC also recommends Vitamin A that has been administered twice by a doctor in cases of severe measles, such as those hospitalized. Infectious disease experts have noted that vitamins are most useful in poor countries where children are significantly malnourished.
In a summary of measles treatments posted Thursday, the CDC said “vitamin A may be used under the supervision of a healthcare provider,” and “other treatments, such as antibiotics, should be prescribed based on clinical judgment by an individual healthcare provider.”
The summary points out that there is no evidence to support the routine use of antibiotics in people with measles, but that if the person develops a secondary bacterial infection, they may be needed. Similarly, it states that patients with a history of certain airway conditions may receive inhaled steroids.
A poll released last week showed that the growing percentage of US adults has heard false claims about measles and vaccines, including vitamin A that can prevent infection.
Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatrician in Annapolis, Maryland, told CNN in March.
In a fact-check on its website, the American Academy of Pediatrics stated, “The recent claim that budesonide and clarithromycin measles are reckless, putting children at serious risk. There is no cure for measles. Vaccination is the only way to prevent the spread of measles.”