Measles myths: What you need to know

False: Vitamin A can prevent measles

While Vitamin A is used to prevent complications in a patient who already has measles, it is not preventative care.

Taking vitamin A will not prevent you from getting sick with measles. Once you have measles, if you're malnourished and vitamin A deficient, sure, there's a role for it. It's been shown to probably help. I think many doctors would give it, unlikely to hurt with a two-day course.

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say prolonged use of Vitamin A can cause side effects ranging from nausea and vomiting to blurry vision and even dangerously high pressures inside the skull.