Joe Rogan increases interest in potentially toxic alternative treatment for measles

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-06-02 01:00

International

Photo by Will Francis on Unsplash

The US is experiencing its largest measles outbreak since the disease’s elimination in 2000. Vaccination is the only proven way to prevent measles - but alternative treatments such as Vitamin A and cod-liver oil (which contains large quantities of Vitamin A) have been promoted in the media by public figures such as Joe Rogan. Medical professionals may give measles patients Vitamin A to help support their recovery, but it doesn't prevent measles and can be toxic in large doses. Researchers looked at Google Search Trends and found that media statements about Vitamin A as a measles treatment were associated with a surge in related web searches. Around the same time, America's Poison Centers reported a 39% increase in Vitamin A exposures. The authors say these findings show the media's influence on health behaviours, and there is a need for heightened public awareness, stronger vaccination campaigns, and clear guidance from trusted sources.

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Boston Children’s Hospital, USA, Harvard Medical School, USA, University of California, USA, Brigham Young University, USA

Funder: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (grant Nos. SES2230083 and IIS2229881; Dr Majumder) and the National Institutes of Health (No. R35GM146974; Dr Majumder), as well as the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina through a postdoctoral fellowship grant (No. LPDS 2024-06) awarded to Dr Bischops.

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