Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
News
Vitamin A is a key supportive therapy for measles, but it's widely underused — and increasingly misused. Only about one-third of hospitalized children receive it, and few at the correct dose. Meanwhile, some parents are overdosing their kids with cod liver oil based on false claims that it prevents measles, leading to dangerous vitamin A toxicity.
Vitamin A plays a critical role in supporting the immune system during measles infection, yet it remains chronically underutilized in U.S. hospitals — and dangerously misused at home. Experts from the Measles Collaborative, a national initiative led by the NFID and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, are raising concerns on both fronts as measles cases hit their highest levels since 1991.
On the clinical side, confusion among healthcare providers, limited pharmacy access to appropriate liquid formulations, and a lack of U.S.-specific efficacy data are driving poor adherence to dosing guidelines. On the public side, misinformation has fueled a dangerous myth that vitamin A (often via cod liver oil) can prevent measles, prompting parents to give high doses to their children. Clinicians at a Texas children's hospital reported treating multiple children for hypervitaminosis A — some of whom then also contracted measles — creating a difficult clinical dilemma around whether to administer the recommended therapeutic doses.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: As measles surges across the U.S., clinicians need clear guidance on vitamin A use — and the public needs accurate information to avoid turning a medically sound therapy into a self-prescribed hazard.
