Oz's Measles Vaccine Plea Rings Hollow as US Cases Surge Past 900 and Elimination Status Slips Away

On a Sunday morning CNN appearance that drew immediate scrutiny from public health experts, Dr. Mehmet Oz — the former television personality who now runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — delivered a blunt appeal to the American public: "Take the vaccine, please" Oz call for measles vaccine uptake 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. It was the most forceful pro-vaccination statement from any Trump administration official since measles outbreaks began accelerating across the country more than a year ago.

But the plea arrived against a backdrop that made it ring hollow. The United States has recorded 910 confirmed measles cases in the first six weeks of 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . At the same point in 2025, only 71 cases had been detected — meaning the current trajectory represents a twelve-fold increase year over year . The country recorded more than 2,000 cases in all of 2025, the highest total in three decades, and epidemiologists project 2026 will exceed that figure Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. The US is now expected to lose its official measles elimination status — a designation it has held since 2000 — as early as April Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide..

The contradiction at the heart of Oz's appeal was not lost on CNN host Dana Bash, who challenged him on air about the tension between his recommendation and the well-documented vaccine skepticism of his superior, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Oz call for measles vaccine uptake 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. Kennedy, who previously chaired the anti-vaccine nonprofit Children's Health Defense, has overseen sweeping changes to federal vaccination policy since joining the cabinet. Under his direction, the CDC has rewritten recommendations for Hepatitis B, COVID-19, and the combination MMR-varicella inoculation that protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox Oz call for measles vaccine uptake 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide..

Kennedy positioned the measles vaccine as a "personal choice" during the 2025 outbreaks and recommended unproven treatments for the highly contagious illness Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. His allies are now pursuing a parallel track at the state level: a New York Times investigation published this week revealed that longtime Kennedy associates have launched a coordinated campaign to repeal school vaccine mandates in multiple states — laws that have served as the backbone of childhood immunization for decades Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide..

"This week's renewed call for measles vaccination from the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, feels like too little too late," said Sruti Nadimpalli, a clinical associate professor specializing in pediatric infectious disease at Stanford University Oz call for measles vaccine uptake 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. "We need our leaders to more proactively, strongly and consistently endorse childhood vaccines, which have been repeatedly proven to be safe and effective."

The numbers illustrate why that consistency matters. National vaccination coverage among kindergarteners dropped from 95.2% in the 2019–20 school year to 92.5% in 2024–25, falling below the 95% threshold required for herd immunity Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. In some of the hardest-hit areas — including parts of Texas and South Carolina — coverage is significantly lower. South Carolina's ongoing outbreak, which began in October, has infected 876 people, the vast majority of whom were unvaccinated or unsure of their vaccination status Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. Only 38 of those patients had been vaccinated.

The science behind measles vaccination is not in dispute. After one dose, 93% of recipients are protected; after two doses, that figure rises to 97%, and protection typically lasts a lifetime Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. The measles virus, however, is extraordinarily contagious — each infected person can transmit it to 12 to 18 susceptible individuals, and up to 90% of non-immune people who encounter the virus will contract it Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide..

The global picture offers both cautionary parallels and glimmers of hope. Europe and Central Asia reported a 75% drop in measles cases from 2024 to 2025 Oz call for measles vaccine uptake 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. But the World Health Organization and UNICEF have warned against complacency: in January 2026, Austria, Spain, and the United Kingdom all lost their measles elimination status, while 32 European countries retained theirs Oz call for measles vaccine uptake 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide..

"Given how things are evolving globally, we do expect a big problem in the making," said Fatima Cengic, UNICEF's immunization specialist for Europe and Central Asia Oz call for measles vaccine uptake 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide.. She pointed to a paradox that is playing out on both sides of the Atlantic: the very success of vaccination programs has bred complacency among both families and governments. "Because it's been very successful in preventing deaths, governments are not so willing to pay so much attention to it or invest in immunization programs, so they're very often underfunded," Cengic said Oz call for measles vaccine uptake 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide..

For critics of the administration's approach, Oz's Sunday appeal only underscored the incoherence of a government that simultaneously promotes vaccine skepticism at the highest levels while asking citizens to trust the very vaccines its own leadership has questioned. The most forceful statement on measles from a senior federal official came not from the Health Secretary, not from the Surgeon General, but from the administrator of Medicare and Medicaid — a man whose previous public comments on vaccines included casting doubt on how well flu shots work in a Newsmax interview Mehmet Oz's vaccine call is 'too little, too late'dw.com·SecondaryMeasles cases have risen for over a year in the US and the country is likely to lose its "measles-free" status. Other world regions had lower case numbers in 2025 but experts say this is unlikely to mark a sustained downward trend. Health professionals warn that vaccination responses from governments are not enough. Measles is still spreading in the US and calls to get the vaccine from government officials won’t be enough to stem the tide..

Whether Oz's plea will move the needle on vaccination rates remains to be seen. What is clear is that the window for preventing a full reversal of America's quarter-century of measles elimination is rapidly closing — and a single Sunday morning sound bite is unlikely to shut it.