Dr Oz urges Americans to 'take the vaccine' for measles amid outbreaks

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, said to "take the vaccine" for measles amid outbreaks across the U.S.

Oz said Sunday: “Take the vaccine, please. We have a solution for our problem,” according to the Associated Press.

He told CNN: “Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses. But measles is one [where] you should get your vaccine.”

In South Carolina, an outbreak has resulted in hundreds of cases, surpassing the recorded case count in Texas’s outbreak last year. There is also an outbreak on the Utah-Arizona border. Additionally, multiple other states have had confirmed cases this year.

Children have been impacted the most by the outbreaks.

Oz said when asked whether people should fear measles, “Oh, for sure.”

He also said Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover the measles vaccine.

“There will never be a barrier to Americans get[ting] access to the measles vaccine. And it is part of the core schedule,” Oz said.

He added that “we have advocated for measles vaccines all along,” noting that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., “has been on the very front of this.”

Oz argued that Kennedy is supportive of the measles vaccine.

“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.