ISTANBUL

A senior US public health official has urged Americans to get vaccinated against measles as outbreaks persist across multiple states, raising concerns that the country could lose its measles elimination status.

Supporting the vaccination campaign, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, spoke Sunday about the importance of the measles vaccine in protecting public health.

Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, urged Americans to get vaccinated against measles. “Take the vaccine, please,” he said, adding that “we have a solution for our problem.”

Speaking to CNN’s State of the Union, Oz 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.”

The comments come as South Carolina faces an outbreak with hundreds of cases, surpassing the number reported in Texas earlier this year. Health authorities have also identified another outbreak along the Utah-Arizona border, while several other states have confirmed measles cases in 2025.

In January alone, the US reported a quarter of last year’s total measles cases, according to The Guardian, as outbreaks continue amid limited federal guidance.

Most patients remain unvaccinated, and no nationwide campaigns have been launched, with Oz’s remarks marking the first major federal response. Last year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described measles vaccination as a personal choice and endorsed unproven treatments for the highly contagious illness.

Oz has previously supported Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, which questions vaccine mandates and some scientific research. He has also expressed doubts about flu vaccine effectiveness, previously advising Americans to focus on self-care instead.