Vitamin A doesn’t cure or prevent measles; vaccine is most effective prevention

The current measles outbreak in Texas—which has since grown to 198 reported cases and one confirmed death—has been accompanied by a wave of misinformation about measles and vaccines. Among these are the false claims that the MMR vaccine causes measles and that measles infection provides health benefits, which Science Feedback debunked in previous reviews.

Another potentially harmful claim emerged on social media in late February 2025, with posts on Facebook and Instagram touting vitamin A as a treatment or preventative for measles. One such post was published by Kate Tietje, who sells supplements and who previously spread vaccine misinformation. The post called on people to be prepared by getting “some cod liver oil for a natural source of vitamin A”. More than 24,000 users follow Tietje’s Facebook profile.

Another such post was published by a Facebook page named “Vaccine Cons Resources”, which stated “[i]f anybody is worried, take extra vitamin A for reduced symptoms”. The page is linked to Lakeshore Therapies, an alternative medicine clinic in Michigan.

Remarks from the current secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also appear to encourage the idea that people can fend off measles infection by taking vitamin A in lieu of getting vaccinated. In an opinion piece for Fox News published on 2 March 2025, Kennedy acknowledged that vaccines protect vaccinated individuals and the wider community, but also wrote that “[g]ood nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses” and cited vitamin A as part of “available therapeutic medications”.

Vitamin A supplementation reduces risk of severe measles and complications if vitamin A deficiency is present

Scientific evidence has indeed shown that children who are deficient in vitamin A are more likely to have severe measles, and that vitamin A supplementation in this particular group can reduce the severity of measles^[1-4].

However, it’s important to be aware that this doesn’t mean vitamin A is a cure for measles. No specific cure for measles infection currently exists. Treating measles typically consists of providing supportive care to keep the patient comfortable and to reduce the risk of complications from the disease—vitamin A supplementation is a part of that supportive care.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes the role of adequate vitamin A levels in fending off the worst of measles in its Red Book, a yearly publication about clinical guidance related to pediatric diseases:

“The WHO currently recommends vitamin A for all children with measles, regardless of their country of residence. Many US experts concur with administering vitamin A to all children in the United States with measles, regardless of hospitalization status. Vitamin A treatment of children with measles in resource-limited countries has been associated with decreased morbidity and mortality rates.”

However, the key takeaway here is that vitamin A supplementation to treat measles is guided by a protocol defining the dose and the duration of treatment. For example, the AAP notes that “[v]itamin A for treatment of measles is administered once daily for 2 days”.

But social media claims presenting vitamin A as a defense against measles, like Tietje’s Facebook post, tend not to inform users about these details. This has led to concerns that parents could be dosing their children with large amounts of vitamin A over a prolonged period to prevent or treat measles, which comes with health risks. Large doses of vitamin A, particularly taken over prolonged periods, can lead to vitamin A toxicity, producing symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, headache, joint pain, and liver damage.

In this article, James D. Campbell, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, clarified that only small amounts of vitamin A are needed for health, and that “larger doses given over prolonged periods, are very dangerous”.

“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,” he cautioned, adding that “[g]etting the measles vaccine is the best way to protect your child from getting measles.”

The MMR vaccine is highly effective against measles and safer than getting infected

The MMR vaccine is highly effective at preventing measles: two doses are more than 90% effective against the disease. Claims that the MMR vaccine is unsafe or that it causes autism aren’t substantiated by scientific evidence.

On the other hand, we have plenty of evidence showing that getting measles comes with substantial risks, including permanent disability and death. While most people who get measles recover, about three in ten develop complications from measles that can lead to lifelong health problems. These include deafness^[5], blindness, and neurological damage. About 1 in 1,000 will die even with the best care.

A very rare complication called subacute sclerosing encephalitis (SSPE) can appear years after a person recovers from the initial measles infection. This occurs in roughly 1 in 100,000 people who get measles. There’s no cure for SSPE and most who develop this complication die within five years of diagnosis.

Studies have also shown that measles causes “immune amnesia”, in which the immune system forgets about the pathogens it encountered in the past. Thus measles infection weakens the immune system, leaving a person at greater risk of infection.

Ultimately, the best way to avoid measles-associated complications is to not get measles in the first place. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. And the evidence shows that the most effective way to prevent measles is vaccination. Vaccination provides immunity to measles without the risks associated with the disease.

Some, like Tietje, have suggested that measles mainly affects people with preexisting health conditions, implying healthy people don’t have to be worried about measles. We’ve seen similarly false claims about COVID-19 downplaying the risks of infection.

But these posts’ implication about measles isn’t substantiated by evidence. The American Academy of Pediatrics pointed out that before the measles vaccine was available, an average of 450 measles deaths occurred yearly in the U.S.; most occurred in previously healthy children. Indeed, the single confirmed measles death in the Texas outbreak so far occurred in a child who was otherwise healthy.

Conclusion

Studies have shown that vitamin A supplementation can improve outcomes in children who have measles, especially those who are seriously ill. However, vitamin A doesn’t cure measles and it also doesn’t prevent someone from catching measles. The best way to avoid measles-associated complications is by not getting measles in the first place. The evidence shows that the most effective way to prevent measles is by getting vaccinated.

REFERENCES

• 1 – Hussey et al. (1990) A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Vitamin A in Children with Severe Measles. New England Journal of Medicine.
• 2 – Frieden et al. (1992) Vitamin A Levels and Severity of Measles: New York City. American Journal of Diseases of Children.
• 3 – Yang et al. (2005) Vitamin A for treating measles in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
• 4 – Sudfield et al. (2010) Effectiveness of measles vaccination and vitamin A treatment. International Journal of Epidemiology.
• 5 – Cohen et al. (2014) Viral Causes of Hearing Loss: A Review for Hearing Health Professionals. Trends in Hearing.