February 9, 2026

How about that? A Trump administration official is actually encouraging Americans to get measles vaccines at a time when outbreaks across several states and puts the U.S. at risk of losing its measles elimination status.

"Take the vaccine, please," said Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator whose boss has encouraged people not to give vaccines to their kids. "We have a solution for our problem."

The famous TV doctor, who is better known for appearances in which he sold questionable products made by companies in which he often held a financial interest, defended some of those recently revised federal vaccine recommendations as well as past comments from noted health expert Donald Trump and the nation's health chief, Bob Kennedy, about the efficacy of vaccines. Kennedy is known to profit from anti-vax lawsuits.

But from Oz, there was direct advice on the vaccine.

"Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses," he told CNN's "State of the Union." "But measles is one you should get your vaccine."

People of DC, more than two weeks into being totally iced in, now get news of measles spread—brought in by Right to Life marchers.

Looking for people exposed on the Metro, at DCA, at Children's Hospital, on Amtrak.

Gee, thanks, RFKJr et al.

dchealth.dc.gov/release/heal...

James Fallows (@jfallows.bsky.social) 2026-02-09T03:57:44.140Z

RFK Jr. is a liar. He lied to me about his anti-vax Samoa trip. The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel is now stacked with conspiracists and the US is positioned to lose its measles elimination status. RFK Jr. must be removed now.

Senator Ed Markey (@markey.senate.gov) 2026-02-07T20:35:43.427Z

In South Carolina:

There are currently 920 cases of measles (90% kids)

89% of children are vaccinated against measles

95% of those infected are unvaccinated

Read the two lines above again to yourself slowly and think about what it means

(hint: the measles vaccine works amazingly well)

Gabriel Bosslet (@gbosslet.bsky.social) 2026-02-07T03:23:41.961Z

UN agency warns of ‘sharp increase’ in measles cases in the Americas https://aje.news/mkvz82

Al Jazeera English (@aljazeera.com) 2026-02-05T03:00:05.584Z

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