No, vitamin A does not prevent or cure measles. And it’s important to know that too much vitamin A can cause serious health problems.
Parents may be wondering how to prevent measles after hearing about recent outbreaks and the death of a child in Texas. The best way to protect your family is by choosing to have your child immunized against measles. (See “How to Protect Your Children During a Measles Outbreak.”)
Vitamin A treatment for measles can only help if a child is already sick. It doesn’t help when used instead of the vaccine. Here is what to know about vitamin A and measles.
Why is vitamin A treatment used for children who have measles?
If your child has measles, your doctor can give two doses of vitamin A, 24 hours apart, to treat vitamin A deficiency caused by measles. It is given for just 2 days and does not cure the infection. But the vitamin A measles treatment may help to prevent the illness from becoming more severe.
During a measles infection, the virus depletes vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A deficiency can cause eye damage and blindness. When the body doesn’t have enough vitamin A, it may also increase the risk of serious illness and death from measles.
If your child does not have measles, you should not give vitamin A to your child in the hopes of preventing the disease. There is no dose of vitamin A that will protect them or anyone else in your family from being infected with measles.
Is too much vitamin A harmful?
Yes, large doses of vitamin A can be toxic and make your child sick. Too much vitamin A causes nausea, vomiting, headache, tiredness, joint and bone pain, blurry vision, skin and hair problems. It can also lead to serious problems like high pressure inside the skull that pushes on the brain, liver damage and coma. If you are pregnant, taking large doses of vitamin A can cause birth defects.
Most children get enough vitamin A in their diet from foods like eggs, milk, cheese, cereal, leafy green vegetables, orange vegetables, fish and meat. Infants get vitamin A from breast milk. It is also in infant formula.
Talk with your pediatrician before giving a vitamin supplement to your child. Some parents choose to give their children over-the-counter multivitamins that include vitamin A and have been tested and approved for safe use in children. The dose of vitamin A in a children’s multivitamin is much lower than the doses that are recommended for treating measles with vitamin A.
What about cod liver oil?
Cod liver oil has high amounts of vitamin A, much higher than the recommended daily amounts. It also can make kids sick if they take too much. In addition to vitamin A, cod liver oil is high in vitamin D—another nutrient that can be harmful if kids take more than the recommended daily amount. Plus, cod liver oil also contains “fatty acids” that can keep blood from clotting. This can increase the chance of bleeding.
When to get the measles vaccine
Large measles outbreaks occur when people are not fully vaccinated. Recently, childhood immunization rates have gone down. This has made it easier for measles to spread.
Getting the measles vaccine is the best way to protect your child from getting measles. If you are not sure if your child needs to get the vaccine, check with your pediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all children get the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses are 97% effective at preventing measles illness.
- First dose at age 12–15 months old
- Second dose at age 4–6 years old
During a measles outbreak
If you live in an area with an outbreak or plan to travel outside the U.S., your baby can get the vaccine sooner if they are at least 6 months old. Also, in areas with outbreaks, it may be recommended that children who have received their first dose receive their second dose before age 4-6 years. Check with your pediatrician to learn more.
