Measles spike fuels vitamin A searches and pediatric poisonings

As measles cases climbed, search traffic for vitamin A and cod liver oil climbed with them, and pediatric poisonings followed. America’s Poison Centers recorded 86 pediatric vitamin A exposures from January 1 through March 31, 2025, a 38.7% jump from the same stretch in 2024, even as measles misinformation pushed families toward an unproven substitute for vaccination.

A June 1 study in JAMA Network Open traced that online panic in sharp detail. Searches for “vitamin A” plus measles rose 44% on February 26, 2025 and peaked at 100% on March 22, while searches for “cod liver” plus measles reached 52.6% on March 5. The timing lined up with false claims from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the MMR vaccine causes encephalitis, and with online promotion of vitamin A and cod liver oil as measles treatments.

Public health experts say that advice is dangerous. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vitamin A does not prevent measles and is not a substitute for vaccination, though it may be used under a healthcare provider’s supervision as part of supportive care for infants and children who have measles. The American Academy of Pediatrics says the MMR vaccine is about 97% effective at preventing measles. IDSA, the Pediatric Pandemic Network, and the National Academies have all said vitamin A should not replace vaccination and does not prevent infection.

The consequences of weak vaccine uptake were visible across the country in 2025. CDC data show 2,288 confirmed measles cases in the United States for the full year, and 93% of confirmed cases in 2026 so far are outbreak-associated. In Texas, the West Texas outbreak reached 762 confirmed cases by August 12, 2025, with 99 hospitalizations, and state officials later said it ended on August 18. Earlier in the year, the West Texas and New Mexico outbreak had already grown to more than 250 cases by March 12 and had caused two deaths, including an unvaccinated child.

America’s Poison Centers said the vitamin A exposures did not lead to an increase in poisoning severity and there were no major effects reported in 2025. That detail underscores the narrow margin between a supplement’s normal use and the kind of misinformation that can turn it into a household hazard. Vitamin A is essential in the right dose, but it is not measles prevention, and the most effective protection remains the MMR vaccine.