Recently, there has been a serious measles outbreak in the US that has spread to 12 states and afflicted over 220 people. As of March 7, the source is reliable. One death has been verified, while another is being investigated.
Western Texas and New Mexico have had the most recent increase in instances, according to recent figures. Measles cases have also been reported in California, New York, and Maryland in addition to the outbreaks in those two states. As spring break gets underway, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised travelers to exercise caution.
With a few exceptions, measles has historically been a well-managed infectious disease. In the previous few decades, there have been two significant measles outbreaks in the United States: the 2005 Indiana epidemic and the 2017 Minnesota outbreakTrusted Source. Undervaccination was a contributing factor in both incidents.
According to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., vitamin A, which may be found in supplements like cod liver oil, the steroid budesonide, and the antibiotic clarithromycin have all had “good results” in treating measles.
The CDC still suggests vaccination as “the best defense Trusted SourceagainstTrusted Source measles,” despite listing vitamin A as a possible therapy for the disease. infection from a trusted source.
Medical News Today interviewed a pediatrician and an infectious disease specialist, Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco, and Danelle Fisher, MD, FAAP, a board-certified pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, to learn more about measles, whether vitamin A supplements are helpful, and what people can do to protect themselves and their community.
Can measles be prevented or treated with vitamin A?
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that supports both immune system function and vision. Numerous everyday foods, such as eggs, cheese, fish, milk, and orange and green vegetables, contain it, according to Fisher.
According to both specialists, vitamin A has no such advantage as a preventive measure, but the illness itself can result in vitamin A deficiency and exacerbate symptoms.
Vitamin A does not help prevent infectious diseases like measles, but it helps support the immune system. A person with the measles virus may have a vitamin A deficit. Two oral doses of vitamin A can be beneficial in treating that illness, according to Fisher.
It is true that in the past, measles cases that were more severe were caused by acute vitamin A deficiency. According to the World Health Organization, children with severe measles, especially those under the age of two, should receive two doses of vitamin A, as demonstrated by a Cochrane review.
