• Posted February 10, 2026

Dr. Oz Urges Measles Shots as Outbreaks Grow

As measles outbreaks spread across the United States, a top Trump administration health official is urging families to protect themselves by getting vaccinated.

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

The plea from Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, was the most forceful yet for vaccination from an administration that has repeatedly expressed skepticism about vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Measles outbreaks have been reported in several states, including South Carolina, where hundreds of cases have been confirmed. 

Additional outbreaks have been identified along the Utah-Arizona border, with smaller clusters popping up elsewhere in the country.

Measles, a highly contagious virus, was once declared eliminated in the U.S. But falling vaccination rates and growing distrust of vaccines have raised concerns that the country could lose that status.

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

Oz stressed that Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover the measles vaccine, and that access will not be restricted.

"There will never be a barrier to Americans get access to the measles vaccine. And it is part of the core schedule," he said.

Measles outbreaks have mostly affected children, according to public health experts. Vaccination rates have declined in recent years, federal data shows, while the number of children receiving vaccine exemptions has reached a record high.

At the same time, diseases that vaccines can prevent, including measles and whooping cough, are becoming more common.

The warnings come as the federal government recently scaled back some childhood vaccine recommendations, shifting certain shots to shared decision making between parents and doctors. 

States still control school vaccination requirements, but experts say federal guidance often shapes local policy.

Measles can cause high fever, cough and rash. In serious cases, it can lead to pneumonia, long-term immune damage or death, especially in young kids.

Critics have raised concerns about mixed messages from federal leaders on vaccines, especially given past skepticism from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. However, Oz said Kennedy has supported measles vaccination during outbreaks.

"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 said.

More information

The World Health Organization has more on measles.

SOURCE: PBS News, Feb. 8, 2026