The Claim in Context
Measles is a very serious illness for children and there is no proven or licensed treatment. Recent claims that budesonide and clarithromycin cure measles are reckless and put children at serious risk. There is no cure for measles. Immunization is the only way to prevent the spread of measles.
Key Facts
- There is no tested, valid treatment for measles. Children may need supportive care, once infected, such as assisting with breathing or hydration, as necessary. The only way to prevent measles is to equip our immune systems with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine so our bodies can recognize and resist the disease.
- While most children recover from measles, some develop serious complications like pneumonia and brain swelling; about 1 child in every 1,000 will die after catching measles.
- There is no scientific evidence that inhaled steroids like budesonide or oral antibiotics like clarithromycin are beneficial for treating measles. Promoting medications to treat measles, particularly when those medications are not recommended, suggests that measles is treatable, which it is not. The most important way to combat measles is through prevention with the MMR vaccine.
- Clarithromycin is an antibiotic that is used to treat bacterial infections. Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses, so they don’t work against measles, which is a virus.
- Measles can weaken the body so much that patients develop bacterial infections. But experts do not recommend clarithromycin as a first-line treatment for bacterial infections caused by measles. Clarithromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that targets a wide range of bacteria. Targeting everything, rather than specific bacteria, risks increasing resistance to antibiotics.
- Budesonide is an inhaled steroid generally used for asthma and is also not a recommended nor effective treatment for measles. Steroids should not be given early in an infection like measles because they interfere with the immune system, which is fighting measles for you.
- The MMR vaccine has been thoroughly tested and has been administered safely to millions and millions of children for more than 50 years.
Evidence Snapshot
Two doses of the measles vaccine are 97% effective in preventing measles infection. The vaccine is the only way to prevent measles. There is no cure for measles, and it can result in serious complications. It’s misleading and dangerous to promote the idea that measles is easily treated using unproven and ineffective therapies like budesonide and clarithromycin.
Why It Matters
Promoting dangerous misinformation about ineffective remedies may lead families to delay or avoid immunization, furthering to endanger the lives of children during a rapidly expanding outbreak. As of April 2025, more than 600 measles cases have been confirmed, and two children have died. The measles, mumps, rubella vaccine has been fully tested and used safely for decades. Two doses of the MMR vaccine is 97% effective in preventing measles for a lifetime.
Experts Say:
“There are no miracle cures for measles. If your child becomes sick with measles, doctors will do everything we can to care for them, but the truth is we do not have effective treatments against this viral infection. Instead of promoting medications that have never been proven to help measles patients, health leaders should be telling families honest information based on what pediatric infectious disease doctors know: the measles vaccine is the best way to help your child stay healthy.”
— Sean O’Leary, MD, MPH, FAAP, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases.
Resources for Further Information
Last Updated
04/10/2025
Source
American Academy of Pediatrics