After RFK Jr And Others Claimed Vitamin A Treats Measles, Online Search Volume Surged – Along With Poison Centers Reports

Amid a large measles outbreak in Texas in early 2025, which eventually peaked at 762 cases, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. authored an opinion piece for Fox News in which he claimed vitamin A “can dramatically reduce measles mortality.”

The claims were repeated by others inside and outside government, including by physician and vaccine skeptic Suzanne Humphries on the Joe Rogan Experience. The podcast, hosted by comedian and commentator Joe Rogan, has a gargantuan audience and is top of Spotify’s US podcast chart at time of writing.

Let’s be totally clear. Vitamin A is neither approved nor recommended for the prevention of measles. It is sometimes included in hospital treatment protocols for kids who are already very sick with the disease, but only under clinical supervision. It isn't recommended as an at-home treatment.

Taking large doses of vitamin A without medical guidance risks an overdose – leading to a condition called hypervitaminosis A, which can cause a range of symptoms and even long-term liver and kidney damage.

Doctors were so concerned about this misguided advice from Kennedy and others that some issued warnings to the public. And according to the findings of a new study, they were right to do so.

A team from Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts analyzed Google search trends data for the search terms “vitamin A” measles and “cod liver” measles in the US from January 1 to June 1, 2025 (cod liver oil and supplements are a popular source of vitamin A). 

They found that search interest for both terms started ticking upwards on February 26, peaking on March 22 and March 5, respectively.

“This coincided with multiple media statements, starting on February 19, promoting vitamin A as a measles treatment,” the authors point out, clarifying that they focused on statements from government figures like Kennedy.

That surging interest in the use of vitamin A for measles prevention and treatment also coincided with a bump in reports of vitamin A exposure to America's Poison Centers. In April 2025, the centers alerted the media to a 38.7 percent increase in pediatric vitamin A exposures compared with the same period in 2024.

There’s some nuance here – Poison Centers says some of those exposures could have come from topical vitamin A, like in skincare products containing retinol. Not all resulted in poisoning or illness.

However, the coincidental timing raises the question of whether at least some of these exposures could have been avoided had misinformation about vitamin A not been promoted by top figures in the US government and media.

Vitamin A is essential for a healthy human body. IFLScience has warned against wellness influencers promoting “detoxes” from it in the past – not only are these detoxes in general complete hokum, if you rely on dietary sources of vitamin A, such as foods rich in beta-carotene, the body already has ways of ensuring its levels stay in a healthy balance.

The risk of vitamin A toxicity comes primarily from supplementing high doses of vitamin A on top of whatever you’re getting from food.

The single best prevention against measles is a full course of the MMR or MMRV vaccine. Lack of vaccine coverage is leaving communities vulnerable to measles outbreaks across the US, and all signs currently point towards the nation losing its measles elimination status this year, a status it has held since 2000.

When dealing with a highly contagious and potentially deadly illness, the study authors say, proven interventions like vaccines should be the focus of messaging, and not misinformation.

“Measles resurgence in the US highlights the need for heightened public awareness, stronger vaccination campaigns, and science-backed messaging from health officials to prevent future outbreaks,” they write.

The study is published in the journal JAMA Network Open.