Health Official Urges Measles Vaccination Amid Growing Outbreaks

A top U.S. health official made a strong appeal Sunday for Americans to get vaccinated against measles as outbreaks spread across multiple states, threatening the country’s measles elimination status.

“Take the vaccine, please,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We have a solution for our problem.”

The urgent plea comes as several states grapple with measles cases that have primarily affected children. South Carolina is currently experiencing an outbreak that has surpassed the number of cases in Texas’s 2025 outbreak, while another cluster has emerged along the Utah-Arizona border.

“Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses,” Oz explained. “But measles is one you should get your vaccine.”

When asked directly if people should fear measles, Oz responded emphatically: “Oh, for sure.” He reassured viewers that Medicare and Medicaid would continue covering measles vaccines, stating, “There will never be a barrier to Americans getting access to the measles vaccine. And it is part of the core schedule.”

The rising number of measles cases has alarmed public health experts, who attribute the spread partly to declining vaccination rates and growing public distrust of vaccines. U.S. vaccination coverage has dropped to concerning levels while the percentage of children with vaccine exemptions has reached an all-time high, according to federal data.

This measles resurgence comes amid complex messaging from the Trump administration on vaccines. Oz serves under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a long history of vaccine skepticism. Kennedy previously led the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense and has expressed sympathy for the unfounded claim that vaccines may cause autism.

Despite this background, Oz defended Kennedy’s stance on measles vaccination specifically. “When the first outbreak happened in Texas, he said, get your vaccines for measles, because that’s an example of an ailment that you should get vaccinated against,” Oz stated.

The administration’s vaccine policies have created controversy within the medical community. Last month, HHS dropped some vaccine recommendations for children, a move the department said came at President Trump’s request. The president had asked the agency to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revisions to U.S. guidance.

While federal recommendations often influence state regulations on required vaccines for schoolchildren, states ultimately hold the authority to set these requirements. In response to the current administration’s guidance, some states have begun forming their own alliances to establish independent vaccine policies.

Kennedy’s past anti-vaccine activism has been a point of scrutiny since his nomination to lead HHS. During his Senate confirmation testimony, Kennedy claimed a 2019 trip to Samoa “had nothing to do with vaccines,” but documents obtained by The Guardian and The Associated Press contradicted this testimony. According to Samoan officials, Kennedy’s visit bolstered anti-vaccine sentiment prior to a devastating measles outbreak that sickened thousands and killed 83 people, mostly children under five.

The administration’s messaging on vaccines and autism has been particularly inconsistent. During a recent Senate hearing, Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, stated that no single vaccine causes autism, while not ruling out the possibility that combinations of vaccines might have negative health effects. Kennedy, meanwhile, has maintained that a link between vaccines and autism has not been disproven.

Kennedy has previously suggested that thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative in some vaccines, may cause childhood neurological disorders including autism. Most measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines do not contain thimerosal. A federal vaccine advisory board reorganized under Kennedy’s leadership voted last year to no longer recommend thimerosal-containing vaccines.

Administration officials often cite the need to restore public trust in health systems following the COVID-19 pandemic, when vaccine policies became highly polarized. However, President Trump has made statements without scientific evidence, including a September Oval Office claim connecting Tylenol and vaccines to rising autism rates in the United States.

As measles cases continue to increase, public health experts stress that the disease, once declared eradicated in the U.S., remains a serious threat, particularly to unvaccinated children. The current outbreaks demonstrate the consequences of falling vaccination rates and highlight the critical importance of maintaining high levels of immunity within communities.