Washington DC - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing criticism after claiming that nutrition and vitamins, not vaccines, are the answer to the Texas measles outbreak.

A week after an unvaccinated child died from measles, RFK said that "good nutrition remains a best defense" against measles and other infections.

"Vitamins A, C, and D, and foods rich in vitamins B12, C, and E should be part of a balanced diet," he wrote in an opinion piece for Fox News.

While the CDC has recommended giving vitamin A to patients with measles, this is because patients with lowered levels of the vitamin are more susceptible to severe infection.

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The use of vitamin A is to reduce this risk as a form of "supportive management" under the supervision of a doctor, but not as a cure or treatment for the actual infection.

Kennedy also touted sanitation and nutrition as a solution, and claimed that improvements in these fields had "eliminated 98% of measles deaths" by 1960, before the vaccination was available.

While he did mention the measles vaccine, admitting that it protects children from the disease and contributes to community immunity, he added: "The decision to vaccinate is a personal one."

Anti-vaxers have often called for vitamin A to replace vaccines, usually citing data that has been widely misrepresented or misunderstood.

Vitamin A is used to strengthen immune systems and as a form of supportive care, especially in malnourished children, but does not protect you from infection.

"In fact, relying on vitamin A instead of the vaccine is not only dangerous and ineffective, but it puts children at serious risk," said Sue Kressly of the American Academy of Pediatrics in a statement on Monday.

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"Taking too much vitamin A can cause serious health problems, including liver damage and coma. The only way to prevent measles is by getting the MMR vaccine."

Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, also warned about the dangers of overdosing on vitamin A and questioned the message that RFK Jr. was giving parents.

"It could lead to the impression of a false equivalency: To make the best decision for your children, you can either vaccinate or give vitamin A," Hotez said, per the Washington Post. "That would be highly misleading."