Can vitamin A ‘prevent and treat’ measles?

A video on Instagram makes a series of claims about measles and suggests that vitamin A can prevent and treat measles, questioning why children are not given doses of vitamin A “instead of this hysteria over getting everyone vaccinated or revaccinated”.

The speaker in the video, which was posted three months ago and now has more than 70,000 likes, refers to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance which says people with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements. The speaker says that this “can prevent and treat the measles”.

This is misleading. The WHO does recommend that all children and adults with measles are given two doses of vitamin A supplements 24 hours apart. But this is because vitamin A can in some cases prevent some complications of measles after infection.

Experts say that vitamin A cannot prevent measles infection, and we’ve seen no good evidence to suggest that it can. The WHO says that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles, as do other medical bodies.

The ongoing measles outbreak in the US and reports of some children in Texas being treated for vitamin A toxicity demonstrate the importance of clear health information on this topic.

What does the video say?

The video features an American osteopathic doctor, Dr Sherri Tenpenny, who was last year reinstated after previously being suspended for allegedly failing to comply with procedures during an investigation following multiple complaints. Dr Tenpenny made headlines in 2021 after her testimony to Ohio lawmakers referred to false claims and conspiracy theories about Covid vaccines. Dr Tenpenny has recently described the childhood vaccination schedule, which includes measles, as “the pediatric poisoning schedule”.

Dr Tenpenny acknowledges in the video that the MMR vaccine reduces measles transmission, but also adds: “The World Health Organisation has been publishing since 2005 that giving children vitamin A—200,000 iUs, yes, 200,000 iUs which is about 1 cc of vitamin A—giving them two droppers full, one on say Monday, one on Tuesday, which can prevent and treat the measles. Why aren’t we doing that, instead of this hysteria over getting everyone vaccinated or revaccinated?”

We contacted Dr Tenpenny for comment and have not received a response at the time of writing.

We also contacted the account which shared this post. The account holder told us they did not create the video, but had shared it because it was “thought-provoking information” and that specific medical claims should be directed to the doctor speaking in the video.

What is measles?

Measles is a viral illness that is highly contagious. It can spread via direct contact with an infected person who coughs and sneezes, and also via air droplets on contaminated surfaces and in air spaces for hours.

Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, conjunctivitis and a rash. Measles can cause various complications which include ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis— inflammation of the brain. Other complications include blindness and also death, particularly in those who are immunocompromised or under the age of five.

Vaccines prevent cases of measles and deaths

While limiting contact with infected people and practising good hygiene can play a role in prevention, the World Health Organisation and other bodies such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control are clear that vaccination is the best way to protect against measles. One dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine offers around 93% protection, and two doses increase this to around 97%. Vaccination provides long term protection and also protects those who are not able to get vaccinated. In some cases, the vaccine can be given after exposure to limit the severity of the illness.

Vaccination has reduced the number of cases and deaths from measles worldwide. A National Institute for Health and Care Excellence web page, which was last reviewed in December, says that all deaths in England and Wales from measles since 2000 have been in unvaccinated people. In the current US outbreak, both children who have died were reportedly unvaccinated, as was an adult who died.

There is no specific antiviral treatment for measles, and management involves relieving symptoms and addressing complications.

Can vitamin A ‘prevent’ measles?

Experts say vitamin A does not prevent measles, and we’ve seen no good evidence to suggest it can cure or eliminate the measles virus itself. However, some countries do recommend its use to reduce and prevent complications after infection, particularly in those who are seriously ill, in line with guidance from the World Health Organization.

The WHO recommends that all people with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A because low levels can still occur in well nourished children. It does not suggest using vitamin A to prevent measles infection. Deficiency of Vitamin A can affect the severity of disease, and some research has shown that vitamin A levels decline in the early stages of measles infection. Vitamin A can help prevent eye damage and blindness, and possibly reduce the number of deaths.

Vitamin A plays an important role in immune function, vision and other processes. Vitamin A deficiency is common in developing countries, but rarely seen in developed countries. Too much vitamin A can have a variety of health effects, including weakening your bones. Exactly how Vitamin A affects immunity has not yet been fully understood, and it is unclear if vitamin A is helpful in those without deficiency during measles infection.

The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommend the use of vitamin A to prevent complications after infection, particularly in hospitalised children with measles.

However, Vitamin A is not licensed or routinely used for measles care in the UK and is typically reserved for high risk hospitalised patients. NHS England says it can be considered for those who are hospitalised for two or more days, aged under two years, and who are malnourished and have diarrhoea. This should only be done in consultation with infectious diseases specialists.

A Cochrane Review, often considered one of the highest forms of evidence, previously reviewed the evidence for vitamin A therapy in measles care and concluded that vitamin A did not significantly reduce mortality overall, though it did find that overall and pneumonia-specific mortality was reduced in those aged under two.

While vitamin A can in some cases reduce measles complications after infection, a range of experts have said that it cannot prevent measles infection, or is not effective at doing so.

For example Dr James D. Campbell, vice chair of the AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases, has said: “Vitamin A, at any dose, does not protect you from measles. No one should take, and no parent should give to their child, vitamin A in hopes of preventing measles. It will not do that.” And the CDC says: “Vitamin A does not prevent measles and is not a substitute for vaccination.”

Professor Beate Kampmann, professor of paediatric infection and immunity at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Full Fact: “Vitamin A cannot prevent infection per se, but it has been found useful in the care for people with measles, especially those who suffer from poor nutrition.”

“In general, poor nutritional status leads to more severe outcomes—susceptibility isn’t really affected, just severity. Vit A is one way to supplement poor nutrition but not sufficient in itself and I don’t think we can trust this as a preventive strategy—kids need food, not just Vit A to prevent severe consequences of measles.”

A systematic review of the evidence for vitamin A use in measles care noted “no convincing evidence in reducing the occurrence of infections sustained by norovirus, RSV, or measles virus was found.”

When discussing vitamin A use by the public to prevent measles infection, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) stated in its 2020 paper: “It should be noted that vitamin A does not prevent measles. It is not appropriate for parents to use vitamin A as a preventive measure.”