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Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella shot is 97% effective in preventing measles, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Can vitamin A prevent someone from contracting measles?
No, say Houston-area health experts.
Local health officials were quick to dispel a rumor that’s been circulating amid a measles outbreak in West Texas, making it clear that no vitamin can replace the highly effective measles vaccine.
“I just want to be abundantly clear that vitamin A is not a replacement for vaccination,” said Dr. Stacey Rose with the Baylor College of Medicine. “I think the reason that vitamin A is part of the conversation is because vitamin A supplementation has been shown to reduce mortality or death associated with measles infection, especially in young children and in populations or areas where children tend to be malnourished.”
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, supports the body’s natural defense system against illnesses and infection from diseases like measles. But it does not prevent people from getting sick in the first place, said UT Health infectious disease epidemiologist Catherine Troisi.
“Moderate doses of vitamin A can be useful in treatment, but the better choice is to prevent measles from happening in the first place through vaccination,” Troisi said.
While the outbreak in West Texas has grown to nearly 200 cases and led to two deaths — one in West Texas and the other in eastern New Mexico — no active cases have been reported in the Houston area. Two measles cases unrelated to the outbreak were reported in Houston in January, marking the city’s first measles cases since 2018.
“The vaccine will prevent the child or the adult from getting measles in the first place,” Troisi said. “Whereas, if someone is infected with measles, then vitamin A can help mitigate some of the longer-term sequelae but it does not prevent measles in an unvaccinated person.”
Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is 97% effective in preventing measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says one dose is 93% effective.
Harris County has a relatively high measles vaccination rate compared to the rest of the country, according to County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who said last week that around 94% of the county is vaccinated.
Vitamin A deficiency, Troisi said, is uncommon in the U.S.
“In the United States, we don’t see a lot of vitamin deficiencies,” Troisi said. “Now, it’s certainly worthwhile to have it working at its peak immune system, but that doesn’t prevent you from getting infectious diseases.”
Having low vitamin A levels is “rarely seen in the first world,” according to the National Institute of Health.
Houston-area residents can schedule appointments to get the measles vaccine with either Harris County Public Health or the Houston Health Department, which are holding vaccination clinics throughout the region.