Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, contradicted President Donald Trump on Sunday, stating on CBS's "Face the Nation" that the Measles, Mumps Rubella vaccine is not lethal.
Trump had claimed the MMR shot could be "quite lethal" while simultaneously calling it "very effective." He announced an executive order to split the three-in-one vaccine into separate injections.
When pressed by CBS anchor Margaret Brennan on Trump's use of "lethal," Oz initially sidestepped the question, saying the administration wanted patients to follow their doctors' recommendations and parents to have "autonomy" over vaccine decisions. Brennan circled back repeatedly, noting that Trump had specifically called the single shot lethal.
Oz then conceded directly: "The MMR vaccine is not a lethal vaccine."
The admission underscores a rare public rift between Trump and a senior health official. Oz then pivoted to promoting separate shots, citing their availability in Japan. Brennan countered that Japan's experience showed separation increased costs and complications.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has criticized Trump's vaccine-separation order as "crazy and stupid," arguing it would raise costs for parents and cause children unnecessary pain from multiple injections instead of one. Merck, the vaccine's manufacturer, has said it cannot produce separate shots for at least another 10 years.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that only 92 percent of kindergartners are vaccinated for measles, below the 95 to 99 percent rate needed for herd immunity. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the agency's position remains that the MMR vaccine is "the best way to prevent the spread of measles and protect public health."
