Dr. Mehmet Oz is urging the public to “take the vaccine, please” as measles cases continue to rise, including a record-breaking outbreak in South Carolina.
“Not all illnesses are equally dangerous, and not everyone is equally at risk,” he told CNN’s State of the Union. “But measles is one disease where vaccination is essential.”
Oz’s strong recommendation stands in contrast to messaging from the Trump administration, which has questioned vaccine safety and even altered CDC web pages to promote a long-debunked link between the MMR vaccine—which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella—and autism.
Vaccine skepticism has also been promoted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly spread misinformation about vaccine effectiveness. In January, HHS announced that the CDC had revised its childhood immunization schedule, removing six previous recommendations.
When CNN anchor Dana Bash asked Oz whether South Carolina’s outbreak was partly due to the administration undermining support for measles vaccines, Oz replied, “I don’t believe so. We’ve always advocated for measles vaccines. Secretary Kennedy has been very vocal on this—”
Bash interrupted, pointing out that Kennedy has long downplayed the importance of vaccines and falsely claimed they contain “fetus debris.”
Oz added that during the first outbreak in Texas, Kennedy advised people to get vaccinated for measles, calling it an example of a disease where vaccination is important. In reality, Kennedy framed it as a “freedom-of-choice” issue, stating that anyone who wants the vaccine can get it.
Dr. Oz’s comments come as measles cases continue to climb in the U.S. Last year, an outbreak in Texas proved deadly, with two unvaccinated children dying from the virus and another fatality in New Mexico.
This year, South Carolina is experiencing its worst measles outbreak since the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. The outbreak, which began in Spartanburg County, has infected over 900 people and hospitalized at least 19, including children.
