Measles is very contagious. It spreads fairly easily from person to person, so there isn’t much we can do to protect someone from catching it (other than opting in for vaccination, which may provide some immunity for several years after vaccination). But there are three things we can do to reduce the complications of measles and help make the disease course milder:
- Supplement with Vitamin A: Infants and children can take about 1000 IU daily; Teens and adults can take 3000 IU daily.
- Eat foods rich in Vitamin A: liver, cod liver oil, carrots, some fish, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, eggs, apricots, red bell peppers, tomatoes, mangoes, and others.
- Take high doses of Vitamin A for 2 days if exposed or sick with measles: Infants younger than 6 months can take 50,000 IU once daily for two days; Infants 6 through 11 months can take 100,000 IU daily for two days; Everyone else 12 months and older can take 200,000 IU daily for two days.
See the full article on Measles for more details on high dose vitamin A.