Measles is an infectious disease caused by a virus. There is an effective vaccine which can prevent measles, however 30 to 40 million people worldwide still develop measles annually. Each year measles causes more than half a million deaths and is responsible for an estimated 44% of the 1.7 million vaccine-preventable deaths among children. Measles is associated with complications such as pneumonia, ear infections, throat infections, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis.
Currently, the administration of two doses of vitamin A is recommended for the prevention of these complications in children below two years of age. Another method to prevent post-measles complications is to give antibiotics to children. The objective of this review was to assess the effects of antibiotics given to children with measles to reduce pneumonia, other morbidities and mortality. A review of seven controlled clinical trials which included 1263 children, showed that children with measles who were given antibiotics had a lower incidence of pneumonia, ear infections and tonsillitis. However, there were no benefits for conjunctivitis or gastroenteritis. No major side effects attributable to administration of the study drugs were observed. As many of the studies were performed five decades ago with weak methodology, there is a need for randomised controlled trials using newer antibiotics.