With a measles outbreak in Texas currently nearing 200 cases and claiming at least two lives, public health officials are strongly encouraging vaccination. At the same time, some public health officials, including U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are touting vitamin A therapy for the reduction of severe measles symptoms.
While research supports the benefits of vitamin A for general health, doctors stress that it is no substitute for measles vaccination and it is not a cure.
Parents of young children, who are especially vulnerable to measles infection, are urged to check that their kids are up to date with their immunizations, and ask their healthcare provider if they should be concerned if their child is getting sufficient vitamin A.
The Claim: Vitamin A Can Reduce the Risk of Dying From Measles
In an op-ed for Fox News this month, Secretary Kennedy highlighted research showing that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality.
In an interview with Fox, Kennedy said that the federal government was shipping doses of vitamin A to Gaines County, Texas, the epicenter of the outbreak.
What We Know About Vitamin A as a Measles Treatment
There is no antiviral medication currently available for measles treatment, and vitamin A has primarily been used as a management approach for malnourished children in developing countries.
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases endorses vitamin A supplementation in measles patients who are severely ill to reduce the risk of extreme complications such as blindness.
In the systematic review that Kennedy cited, of studies concerning the measles vaccine and vitamin A treatment, scientists found that two doses of vitamin A had the potential to reduce the risk of dying by up to 62 percent in children with measles — but it did not prevent the spread of the illness.
Lead study author Christopher Sudfeld, ScD, an associate professor of global health and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, noted that most randomized controlled trials of vitamin A treatment for measles were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s and early 1990s — in places like Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia, where children might not get enough vitamin A.
For most children in the United States, however, vitamin A deficiency is not an issue, Dr. Sudfeld says.
“The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey has suggested that less than 1 percent of the U.S. population is vitamin A-deficient based on lab tests,” he says.
Vitamin A-rich foods include eggs (specifically the yolk), green leafy vegetables, carrots, fish, milk, butter, and sweet potatoes.
“The nice thing about vitamin A is you don't have to take it every day, because your body stores it. So you don’t have to worry if your kid only eats vitamin A-rich foods two or three times a week, because that may be enough,” says Amy Edwards, MD, an infectious disease expert at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and associate professor in the department of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve's School of Medicine in Cleveland.
Vitamin A, along with the array of key nutrients found in a balanced diet, can support a healthy immune system.
What We Don’t Know About Vitamin A and Measles
It’s not clear if vitamin A supplementation is helpful if you are not deficient in this nutrient, says Dr. Edwards.
“Published papers don’t show if additional supplementation in children who are not deficient is helpful,” says Edwards. “We generally recommend only giving vitamin A to children who are hospitalized with measles, because that way, if there's even just a smidge of benefit, we want to correct that deficiency, if it exists.”
She adds that more research is needed to see how beneficial vitamin A may be in milder cases and in people who are already getting enough vitamin A.
Should You Try Vitamin A for Measles Management?
Parents of children sick with measles and adults with measles should never decide to take vitamin A supplements on their own, says Patsy Stinchfield, NP, the immediate past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).
“When prescribed by a knowledgeable provider — usually for hospitalized children on the day of diagnosis and a second dose on day 2 — vitamin A is considered supportive management, much like giving oxygen to someone with pneumonia,” says Stinchfield. “It doesn’t cure or treat the virus, but supports immune function while the patient is in the acute stage of the illness.”
Sudfeld emphasizes that a doctor’s supervision is vital, because the doses of vitamin A used in measles treatment are very high and can cause serious health problems if taken incorrectly.
“Too much vitamin A can cause serious side effects like liver damage,” he says. Excessive amounts can also lead to dizziness, nausea, headache, coma, and even death, according to NFID.
The bottom line is vitamin A supplements may be part of supportive care for some individuals with measles, and research suggests they may help reduce mortality in certain populations. But “supplements will not prevent people from getting measles,” Sudfeld says. “Only vaccination does that.”
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Tom Gavin joined Everyday Health as copy chief in 2022 after a lengthy stint as a freelance copy editor. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from College of the Holy Cross.
Prior to working for Everyday Health, he wrote, edited, copyedited, and fact-checked for books, magazines, and digital content covering a range of topics, including women's health, lifestyle, recipes, restaurant reviews, travel, and more. His clients have included Frommer's, Time-Life, and Google, among others.
He lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he likes to spend his time making music, fixing too-old electronics, and having fun with his family and the dog who has taken up residence in their home.
Don Rauf has been a freelance health writer for over 12 years and his writing has been featured in HealthDay, CBS News, WebMD, U.S. News & World Report, Mental Floss, United Press International (UPI), Health, and MedicineNet. He was previously a reporter for DailyRx.com where he covered stories related to cardiology, diabetes, lung cancer, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, menopause, and allergies. He has interviewed doctors and pharmaceutical representatives in the U.S. and abroad.
He is a prolific writer and has written more than 50 books, including Lost America: Vanished Civilizations, Abandoned Towns, and Roadside Attractions. Rauf lives in Seattle, Washington.
