Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, is asking the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for an agencywide “scientific process” on treating measles and other conditions with medications as well as alternative therapies such as vitamins, HHS said in a statement.
The HHS statement notes that “the CDC continues to recommend measles vaccination as the most effective way to prevent the disease,” and Kennedy himself has publicly encouraged measles vaccination – while saying it’s a “personal” choice.
However, “we recognize that some individuals and communities across the U.S. may choose not to vaccinate,” the HHS statement says. “Our commitment is to support all families – regardless of their vaccination status – in reducing the risk of hospitalization, serious complications, and death from measles.”
“Secretary Kennedy will be enlisting the entire agency to activate a scientific process to treat a host of diseases, including measles, with single or multiple existing drugs in combination with vitamins and other modalities,” the statement says. “This effort will involve collaboration with universities nationwide to develop protocols, conduct testing, and pursue approval for new uses of safe and effective therapeutics that meet the highest scientific standards.”
As a measles outbreak centered in West Texas continues to grow, reaching nearly 800 cases as of this week, disease experts fear that Kennedy’s continuing emphasis on unconventional therapies such as cod liver oil, the antibiotic clarithromycin and the steroid budesonide might take away from efforts to boost vaccination.
“We’ve got doctors now in these communities that are teaching other doctors how to treat this disease with aerosolized steroids, with budesonide, with clarithromycin and others,” Kennedy said Monday at a town hall event hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw.
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles after the recommended two doses, but there is no specific treatment for measles once someone is infected.
In severe cases, doctors may offer treatments such as supplemental oxygen and fluids to help patients get through the worst of their illness. The CDC also recommends two doses of physician-administered vitamin A in cases of severe measles, such as people who are hospitalized. Infectious disease experts note that the vitamin is most useful in impoverished countries where children are significantly malnourished.
In a measles treatment overview posted Thursday, the CDC says that “vitamin A may be used under the supervision of a healthcare provider” and that “other therapies, such as antibiotics should be prescribed based on clinical judgement by an individual healthcare provider.”
The overview also notes that although there’s no evidence to support routine use of antibiotics in someone with measles, they may be necessary if the person develops a secondary bacterial infection. Likewise, it says that patients with a history of certain airway conditions may be given inhaled steroids.
A poll released last week showed that a growing share of adults in the US have heard false claims about measles and the vaccine, including that vitamin A can prevent infections.
In a fact-check on its website, the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that “Recent claims that budesonide and clarithromycin cure measles are reckless and put children at serious risk. There is no cure for measles. Immunization is the only way to prevent the spread of measles.”