WASHINGTON — Dr. Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, has formally clarified her stance on the measles vaccine, explicitly urging Americans to get the shot in written responses to lawmakers obtained this week.
The clarification follows a contentious Senate confirmation hearing last month where Means, a leading voice in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, was criticized by both parties for sidestepping direct questions regarding routine childhood immunizations. In her new testimony, Means aligns herself with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), who issued a rare administration plea for vaccination in February.
“I agree with Dr. Oz’s message to Americans to take the measles vaccine,” Means wrote in responses to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. She further characterized the current national outbreaks as “largely preventable with the MMR vaccine.”
A National Crisis Escalates
The shift in rhetoric comes as the U.S. faces its most severe measles crisis in decades. According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on March 13, 2026:
- 1,362 confirmed cases have been recorded across 31 states this year alone.
- 14 active outbreaks are currently being tracked by federal authorities.
- 92% of patients are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
The epicenter remains South Carolina, where an outbreak that began in late 2025 has swelled to 996 cases, primarily centered in Spartanburg County. This single outbreak has already surpassed the total case count of the 2025 West Texas surge, making it the largest in the U.S. since the start of the century.
Elimination Status at Risk
The public health stakes are historically high. On January 20, 2026, the United States officially met the criteria for 12 months of continuous measles transmission—a milestone that threatens the “measles elimination” status the country has held since 2000.
While the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has postponed its formal review of the U.S. status until November 2026, health experts warn that the window to stop endemic spread is closing.
“Measles is a canary in the coal mine for declining vaccine confidence,” said one senior public health official. “Losing our elimination status would be a generational setback for American medicine.”
From Ambiguity to Alignment
During her February 25 confirmation hearing, Means initially resisted calls from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to issue a broad recommendation for the MMR vaccine. Instead, she emphasized “patient autonomy” and suggested parents should have “individualized conversations” with pediatricians.
Her recent written clarification marks a notable pivot toward the more conventional stance taken by Dr. Oz. In a February appearance on CNN, Oz broke from the more skeptical tone of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., stating bluntly, “Take the vaccine, please. We have a solution for our problem.”
Despite this endorsement, Means continues to advocate for a broader overhaul of the U.S. health system, promising to focus her tenure on the “root causes” of chronic disease, including ultra-processed foods and environmental toxins, rather than a singular focus on infectious disease.
