Measles outbreaks continue to occur in West Texas, so far primarily among those who haven’t gotten the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Yet, you continue to see scientifically unsupported claims that vitamin A can somehow be used to prevent and treat the measles as an alternative to vaccination. So, guess what is happening now? Covent Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, has confirmed that multiple children in West Texas have needed treatment for vitamin A toxicity, according to Saleen Martin reporting for USA Today. These cases have reportedly resulted from people on their own and not under real medical guidance using vitamin A in attempts to prevent or treat the measles. In these cases, too much vitamin A. Yep, welcome to 2025.
Measles Outbreaks Leading To Vitamin A Toxicity
This year has marked the return of more problems that were previously solved by science. In the year 2000, measles was no loner a problem in the U.S. because it was declared eliminated from the country after MMR vaccination had become routine for children. But why not let something that was no longer a problem become a problem again because there just aren’t enough problems already, right?
The big problem leading to this new set of problems has been persistent misinformation and disinformation about the MMR vaccine and measles that began, guess when, around the year 2000. This has probably led to drops in MMR vaccination coverage over the years. That’s even though numerous scientific studies have shown the measles vaccine to be by far most effective (around 97%) and safest way of preventing the measles. Nevertheless, fewer kids getting the measles vaccine have allowed a bad thing (i.e., the measles virus) to return when no should have wanted it around in the first place, sort of like a remake of a movie that people didn’t even like in the first place.
The misinformation and disinformation have included claims that the measles is no big deal when it can most certainly be a big deal in an immune system-weakening, brain-damaging and death-causing type of way. I’ve described how the measles can have both short-term and long-term complications previously in Forbes. There’s also been unsupported claims that vitamin A and cod liver oil can somehow serve as replacements for vaccination that have missed a little something called real scientific evidence.
But here we are in 2025 with with the measles outbreak in western Texas already reaching a total of 481 cases and showing no sign of abating. There’s been 59 newly identified infections over the last three days alone. And now there’s evidence that people are overdosing on vitamin A probably because of the outbreaks and being misinformed. Covent Children’s Hospital would not specify how many cases have occurred, only mentioning that the total has been “fewer than 10 cases.” The vitamin A toxicities came to light after the kids had been hospitalized for complications from the measles. Routine lab testing then revealed abnormal liver function in these kids, which then led doctors to further test for hypervitaminosis A, which is when you have too much vitamin A in your body.
Potential Complications Of Vitamin A Toxicity
That’s because liver damage is a potential complication from hypervitaminosis A. This shouldn’t be super surprising since vitamin A is a fat-soluble that is typically stored in the liver. Liver damage ain’t good because you need your liver to, you know, live. But the damage can be reversible if caught early enough.
Other possible complications include vision problems like blurry vision or seeing double, skin problems like skin cracking, sensitivity to sunlight, oiliness, itching and yellowishness, hair issues like hair loss or oiliness, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, irritability, nausea, vomiting and decreased appetite. Then there are bone problems like bone pain or swelling. If you are a young kid and haven’t become fully hard-headed yet like an adult (in a literal and not a figurative way), too much vitamin A can soften your skull or make the existing the soft spots in your skull bulge.
Resulting high calcium levels can cause additional complications like kidney damage. Infants can fail to thrive too. Oh, and if you are pregnant, you’ve got to worry about someone else besides you. Taking too much vitamin A can lead to birth defects.
All of these potential complications show why, in addition to liver function tests, abnormal bone X-rays and calcium or cholesterol levels in the blood often are the initial clues that there’s an A problem. These may prompt doctors to check vitamin A levels in the blood, especially if you say that you’ve been chugging vitamin A supplements.
Vitamin A Toxicity Typically Results From Taking Too Many Supplements
While vitamin A naturally appears in meat, fish, egg yolks, dairy products and certain fruits and vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, mangos and apricots, chances are these West Texas cases of hypervitaminosis A didn’t occur because parents have been feeding their kids truckloads of sweet potatoes. Rather they probably were giving their kids way too many vitamin A supplements.
It’s important to regularly consume vitamin A, preferably through natural means like food. But unless you are vitamin A deficient, there are limits as to how much vitamin A you should be consuming. The recommended daily allowance for people does vary by age and when above 13 years of age by sex. RDAs come in micrograms of retinol activity equivalents because different retinol and provitamin A carotenoids have different bioactivities and result in different levels of retinol in the body. For example, the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements indicates that one mcg RAE is equivalent to 1 mcg retinol, 2 mcg supplemental beta-carotene, 12 mcg dietary beta-carotene, or 24 mcg dietary alpha-carotene or beta-cryptoxanthin.
The RDAs for those less seven months of age is 400 mcg RAE. This goes up to 500 mcg in the seven to 12 months age range and then drops to 300 mcg RAE in the one to three year age range. From four to eight years old, the RDA is 400 mcg RAE. From nine to 13 years old, it increases to 600 mcg RAE. Once kids turn 14 years old, things get more complicated in more ways than one. The RDA for males 14 years and older is is 900 mcg RAE. For females, its 700 mcg RAE.
How To Deal With Vitamin A Toxicity
Dealing with vitamin A toxicity is usually fairly straightforward. Namely, stop taking so many darn supplements. That’s as long as whatever complications that have already resulted are readily reversible. Things get more complicated when persistent problems result like a bone fracture. Therefore, it’s important to recognize hypervitaminosis A as soon as possible before problems progress.
Again, all of this wasn’t a problem about two decades ago. Measles was eliminated from the U.S. as of 2000 due to years of MMR vaccination being routine for children. And vitamin A toxicity didn’t seem to be a problem at the time. But misinformation and disinformation and anti-science approaches have led not only to “A” problem but multiple problems now.
