WASHINGTON — Dr. Mehmet Oz stepped forward on Sunday to clear the air about the safety of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. His remarks came in response to President Trump’s recent executive order, which suggested separating the combined vaccine into individual shots could be safer.
In his role as the head of the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Oz assured that there is no risk of death associated with the MMR vaccine. He supported the President’s decision, emphasizing that it empowers parents to manage their children’s vaccination timelines more flexibly.
Speaking to CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Oz stated unequivocally, “The MMR vaccine is not a deadly option, and it is safely used in many countries globally.” His comments aimed to reassure the public amid the swirling debate.
President Trump stirred discussion on August 10 when he advocated for splitting the MMR vaccine into its three components, citing potential safety concerns during a signing of the executive order.
At that event, Trump remarked, “When administered as three separate vaccinations at different times, they appear not to be lethal at all but instead very effective. Therefore, we prefer to have them given separately, on different visits and schedules.”
Critics have argued that it will take time for the Food and Drug Administration to approve separate vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella.
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Other detractors, such as Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), also raised concerns that separating the vaccines could create complications for parents who might have to take more time out of work.
“We’re going to pay for the vaccines no matter what,” Oz said, referring to CMS. “This comes back to a much more fundamental issue. Do parents have the right to ask questions?”
Oz explained that while it’s ultimately up to the states to determine MMR vaccine requirements for children, Trump’s executive order is to push the states to “offer parents either eligibility because of religious beliefs or other reasons why they may not want to have their kids take all the vaccines in order.”
The two-shot MMR vaccine has been the recommended standard in the US since 1989. Most major developed countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, have similar MMR recommendations.
During his wide-ranging interview, Oz also addressed concerns about projections that the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will go insolvent in about seven years, triggering an automatic benefits cut of about 11%, per the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
“The plan is the Great American Health Act, and that is going to include codifying the Most-Favored-Nation Drug Pricing, which helps,” Oz said of the administration’s response. “The fraud, waste, and abuse issue is important.”
“I’ll just put it in the context of what you just gave me: the insolvency of the Medicare trust fund, which is going to happen in six to seven years, it’ll last twice as long.”