OKLAHOMA CITY,  May 20, 2025 –  The Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health and the Oklahoma State Medical Association are teaming up to support schools in their efforts to encourage immunizations in the wake of the national measles outbreak. 

 

The groups announced today that they have developed a toolkit for school use, which includes a flyer and social media posts for parent outreach.

 

In addition to OAHF, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health and OSMA, organizations that have joined the call to encourage prevention efforts through immunization include The Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians; The American Academy of Pediatrics - Oklahoma Chapter; Tulsa Area Immunization Coalition; the Oklahoma Nurses Association; Oklahoma County Medical Society; Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy; Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma; Oklahoma Caring Foundation; The Oklahoma Dental Association; and, The Oklahoma Hospital Association.

 

The effort comes after the Oklahoma State Department of Health issued a May 1 memo to school administrators, advising them to encourage immunizations for children, particularly among families who have submitted immunization exemption forms instead of the recommended immunization records. 

 

“Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health has recently seen several measles cases, and we’ve activated hospital-wide protocols to respond,” said pediatric infectious disease physician Donna Tyungu, M.D., Pediatric Disease Section Chief at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. “With Oklahoma’s MMR vaccination rate for kindergartners at approximately 88%, we must work toward the 95% threshold needed to stop the spread of this highly contagious virus. As both a physician and a mother, I urge families to vaccinate; it's the most effective way to protect children from the serious, potentially life-threatening complications of measles.”

 

As of May 12, more than 1,000 cases have been reported in the nationwide measles outbreak, which has claimed the lives of two unvaccinated children in Texas. 

 

“In today’s environment of information overload, it can be challenging for parents to find trustworthy information on measles and immunizations. While it can be easy to turn to the internet for answers, there’s also a great deal of misinformation packaged to look like science. When it comes to determining what’s best for your family, I encourage families who have questions about immunizations and measles to ask their pediatrician, family physician or other trusted doctor,” said Oklahoma State Medical Association President Sumit Nanda, M.D. “These people know your children, are familiar with their medical history and have their best interest at heart. They can walk you through questions and give you information based on years of scientific research and clinical experience.

 

Measles can cause pneumonia, brain swelling, hearing loss, blindness and, in rare cases, death. The disease can also return years later with secondary effects in an otherwise healthy adult.

 

“Anyone who is not fully immunized is at high risk for contracting measles amidst the current outbreak,”  said OAHF Chair Steven Crawford, M.D. “While it’s healthy for parents to have questions about the health and care of their children, too many parents are relying on social media for health information. Instead, we encourage parents to talk to their children’s physician. If you have questions — ask them. Parents and physicians want what’s best for kids and for our communities, and right now, we must work together to stop the outbreak and protect our kids from a disease that was at one time almost eliminated from the U.S. and can cause serious complications and, in rare cases, can be fatal.”

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, while a single dose is about 93% effective. A child’s first MMR immunization is recommended at 12 to 15 months of age. A second dose is recommended between 4 and 6 years of age. Some clinicians are opting to immunize children early if they are at increased risk of exposure, including babies during their first year of life.

 

Measles is highly contagious; in a room full of unvaccinated individuals, nine out of 10 will contract the disease. It also causes a high rate of hospitalizations, with approximately one out of every five cases requiring a hospital stay.  Currently, children make up 68% of cases requiring hospitalization.

“We urge all caregivers to consider their response to the measles outbreak, with Oklahoma’s most vulnerable populations in mind. Students in classrooms, children in summer camps and babies too young to be immunized make up some of the at-risk groups,” said Dr. Crawford. “Make the choice to protect your child for life by having them immunized. It’s the best protection we have."

 

The spread of the disease has been historically halted by the widespread uptake of immunizations. A community that is 95% immunized is at low risk for a measles outbreak. Oklahoma’s kindergarten vaccination rates for the MMR vaccine average in the high 80s. As of March, Cleveland County had the highest vaccination rate at 91.9% and Lincoln had the lowest, 77%. In the 2023-2024 school year, Oklahoma’s exemption rate was 5.6% at public schools and 9% for private schools, according to surveys coordinated through the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

The Oklahoma State Immunization Information System, a registry of electronic vaccine records, tabulated 30,000 doses given between January and April 2025, a 25% year-over-year increase. Public health experts consider the uptick a positive step toward stopping the spread of the measles.

Dr. Crawford said, “This increase probably indicates that parents have responded to this measles outbreak by getting many vaccine-exempted children immunized — for which we can be very thankful. We just need to encourage all parents to get their children up to date with all CDC-recommended immunizations.

 

Find more information about where to get immunized and Oklahoma’s measles response at https://oklahoma.gov/health/health-education/acute-disease-service/rash-illness/measles.html. 

The Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families is a nonprofit statewide coalition of public health experts and parents with the goal of improving the health of our schools, communities and families through impactful advocacy. For more information about Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families, visit www.okhealthyfamily.org.