Dr. Oz Urges ‘Take the Vaccine, Please’ amid Ongoing Fatal Measles Spike in U.S.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, publicly encouraged Americans to receive the measles vaccine as outbreaks spread across several states, including a record surge in South Carolina.

Speaking on State of the Union, Oz said measles stands apart from other illnesses because of its severity and contagiousness. “Measles is one where you should get your vaccine,” he said, adding a direct appeal: “Take the vaccine, please.”

The remarks marked a notable contrast with broader messaging from the Trump administration, which has questioned vaccine safety and revised public health materials to reflect claims long rejected by medical experts. Federal health agencies have faced criticism after changes to online guidance about the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Vaccine skepticism has been closely associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now serving as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has previously promoted unfounded assertions about vaccines and has described his approach as centered on personal choice rather than mandates. In January, HHS announced revisions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of recommended vaccines.

During the interview, CNN anchor Dana Bash pressed Oz on whether South Carolina’s outbreak reflected weakened federal advocacy for vaccination. Oz rejected that characterization, saying officials had consistently supported measles immunization and pointing to earlier statements by Kennedy encouraging vaccination during a Texas outbreak.

Health officials say measles cases have been rising nationwide. Last year, outbreaks in Texas and neighboring states resulted in multiple deaths among unvaccinated individuals. This year’s South Carolina outbreak, centered in Spartanburg County, is the state’s largest since measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, with hundreds of cases reported and dozens hospitalized.

Oz emphasized that measles should be taken seriously and said vaccination remains the most effective response, calling it “a solution for a problem.”