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Measles prevention: What to know about vitamin A, booster shots, infant vaccines, more [1]

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Date: 2025-04-09

Measles – considered eliminated in 2000 because of high vaccination rates – is making a comeback this year with an outbreak that’s infected more than 500 people in Texas. Earlier this week, El Paso confirmed its first two measles cases in the area.

There is no antiviral drug that treats measles. While years of evidence support the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine – also known as the MMR vaccine – as the best preventive measure against measles transmission, immunization rates in Texas have declined in recent years.

In response to comments and questions from the public, El Paso Matters turned to physicians, public health authorities and epidemiologists for answers.

The Texas Department of State Health Services, or DSHS, recently gave a webinar to guide school nurses on measles prevention and outbreak response. Dr. Hector Ocaranza, El Paso city and county health authority, also responded to questions from El Paso Matters about proposed alternatives to vaccination, such as supplements.

Are vitamin A, cod liver oil and vitamin D effective alternatives to the measles vaccine?

Amid the 2025 measles outbreak in West Texas and Chihuahua, Mexico, the El Paso Department of Public Health spreads awareness the disease through fliers and social media. (Priscilla Totiyapungprasert / El Paso Matters)

“This is not an approved treatment or preventive measure against measles,” Ocaranza said in an email. “It is concerning because these false claims may lead to other complications from the use of medications without the guidance of a medical provider.”

U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously claimed vitamin A, vitamin D and cod liver oil – which is high in vitamins A and D – can treat measles, leading some parents to believe supplements can prevent the spread of measles.

There is no evidence that these vitamins can prevent the spread of measles.

In its measles webinar, Texas DSHS advises health care providers to administer vitamin A to infants and children with severe measles as part of supportive management and under their supervision. Inappropriate dosing can lead to vitamin A toxicity, resulting in liver damage.

Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock confirms it is treating children who were initially hospitalized for measles complications, but the hospital has now treated for elevated levels of vitamin A that led to abnormal liver function, Texas Public Radio reported.

Should I get a measles “booster shot?”

People vaccinated with two doses of the MMR vaccine are set for life and do not need additional doses, said Saroj Rai, senior scientific adviser for Texas DSHS, in the webinar. While breakthrough infection can occur, it is uncommon and illness will likely be less severe.

Texas DSHS recommends the following for people who live in or visit counties with active measles transmission:

People born before 1957: Do not need the vaccine because they were likely exposed to measles as a child.

Do not need the vaccine because they were likely exposed to measles as a child. People born between 1957 and 1968: Should receive a second dose if they only received one dose of the inactivated or live-attenuated MMR vaccine.

Should receive a second dose if they only received one dose of the inactivated or live-attenuated MMR vaccine. People born after 1968: Should receive a second dose if they’ve had only one.

The state does not recommend pregnant women and people with severe immunodeficiency get any MMR dose.

In the past, a lot of people got measles, recovered and now have natural immunity. What’s the big deal?

While some had mild cases, a lot of people, including otherwise healthy people, suffered debilitating complications and did not recover.

Prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, 48,000 people were hospitalized and 400 to 500 people died in the United States each year because of measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measles cases dropped significantly after immunization began, with a second dose recommended in 1989.

DSHS advises against intentionally exposing anyone to measles, such as through “measles parties,” because you cannot predict how severe the symptoms will be, even in healthy people. Two unvaccinated Texas children with no underlying health conditions have already died from the current outbreak.

“There are complications on the central nervous system that may be apparent 10 to 20 years after infection that will be severe,” Ocaranza said. “This is not a simple disease because of serious consequences to susceptible individuals and also to public health.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Complications from measles can range from mild, such as ear infection, to serious and even death, Ocaranza said. Susceptible people include immunocompromised, pregnant and newborn people who cannot get vaccinated and rely on herd immunity – a vaccination rate above 95% in their community – to avoid complicated infections.

Do I need the MMR vaccine if I’ve already had measles?

No. Texas DSHS considers people who have a documented history of measles to have immunity.

It does not hurt, however, to get another dose of the MMR vaccine if you are already immune, according to the CDC. This means people who do not know their immunization status – because they are unsure if they’ve had measles and have no vaccination record – can get vaccinated.

People can opt in online to the Texas Immunization Registry to keep track of their vaccine history.

My baby is below the recommended age for the measles vaccine. Can I still get the shot for them?

Texas DSHS recommends babies get the first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age, then a second dose at 4 to 6 years of age. Most pediatricians will not immunize infants younger than a year old against measles – unless the patient lives in an active outbreak area, in which a doctor may recommend an infant get an early dose of the MMR vaccine at 6 to 11 months of age.

As of April 8, Texas DSHS defined the outbreak counties as Cochran, Dallam, Dawson, Gaines, Garza, Lynn, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry and Yoakum.

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[1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2025/04/09/measles-el-paso-vaccines-booster-shots-vitamin-a-cod-oil-natural-immunity/

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