In an interview, the H.H.S. secretary claimed that unconventional treatments were helping patients but described vaccination as a personal choice.

Known for his anti-vaccination stance, the new US Secretary of Health is facing his first challenge: Curbing the mainly Texas-based measles epidemic which has been encouraged by low vaccination coverage.

Texas health experts are warning that vitamin A — found in food and in supplements such as cod liver oil — is not an alternative to measles vaccination. They’re urging Texans to vaccinate themselves and their children,