The U.S. is witnessing measles outbreaks in several states, and during these trying times, Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, pleaded with the American public to take the necessary vaccination. He said, “Take the vaccine, please. We have a solution for our problem.”
Back in 2025, there was a measles outbreak in Texas affecting a record number of people. However, those numbers have been surpassed in the South Carolina outbreak, and there are cases happening along the Utah-Arizona border as well. Multiple other states have also reported measles cases, which makes the situation quite grim.
The main population being affected consists of children, and according to experts, the growing distrust of vaccines propagated by President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might be contributing to the increasing number of cases.
BASH: Is this measles outbreak a consequence of the administration undermining support for vaccines?
DR OZ: I don’t believe so. Secretary Kennedy has been advocating for measles vaccines
BASH: Oh, come on pic.twitter.com/gCIMqIuN7I
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2026
While Dr. Oz has previously defended some of the revised federal vaccination recommendations championed by RFK Jr., his message about the measles vaccine has always been clear. He said, “Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses. But measles is one you should get your vaccine.”
Speaking to CNN, Dr. Oz also said that people should be scared of measles and “there will never be a barrier to Americans getting access to the measles vaccine. And it is part of the core schedule.” He also referred to RFK Jr. and mentioned that despite his anti-vaccine stance, he “has been on the very front of” the measles vaccination drive.
To support his claims about RFK Jr.’s complete compliance with the measles vaccine, Dr. Oz said, “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.”
800 of 856 cases of measles in South Carolina are unvaccinated
I don’t know what you are on about here https://t.co/L8655p62Af
— Neil Stone (@DrNeilStone) February 9, 2026
However, despite RFK Jr. supporting the measles vaccine, his long-term stance against routine vaccinations and unscientific comments about the impact vaccines might have on the human body may have swayed a number of Americans to decide against taking the measles vaccine.
This marks a dangerous trend in the population as children are being affected, and if this continues, the number of cases may soon become difficult to control. Besides, RFK Jr. and President Trump have often made negative comments about the effects of vaccines and emphasized their lack of impact, which is another driving factor behind a dip in the number of parents getting their children the measles vaccine.
However, as Dr. Oz pointed out, RFK Jr.’s stance on the measles vaccine has been consistently positive, and therefore his followers, who are probably being influenced by his general anti-vaccine outlook, should rethink their decisions and listen to Dr. Oz’s pleas, as otherwise the situation for children and their parents will only get worse.
