USC’s chief health officer reiterates “robust” university vaccine policy in midst of measles outbreak

Dr. Sarah Van Orman, USC’s chief campus health officer, described the measles outbreak in Texas as “very, very concerning,” as 124 cases were reported as of Tuesday.

The largest affected demographic consists of children and teenagers, with 62 cases involving those aged 5 to 17, while 39 cases were among children aged four and under. Almost all of the individuals affected by this outbreak were not vaccinated, according to ABC News.

California is among nine states with reported measles cases with one confirmed infection this month, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The last measles outbreak in California occurred from December 2014 to April 2015 when at least 131 California residents became infected in a large measles outbreak associated with Disneyland, according to the California Department of Public Health.

However, Van Orman held firm that “we have a very robust vaccine requirement here at USC,” noting that if someone were to visit USC and have measles, she could identify those vaccinated and unvaccinated quickly, allowing for quarantine.

The university has three immunization requirements if students attend in-person classes: measles, mumps and rubella (MMR vaccine), varicella (chickenpox) and the meningococcal disease (ACWYB) vaccine.

However, USC students can be exempt from vaccinations if they declare religious or philosophical objections to required vaccines by filling out a form explaining their beliefs.

Despite being an outspoken vaccine critic, Ronald F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK), the secretary of the Department of Human and Health Services, has promised to leave vaccine policy alone for now.

When asked about the future of RFK Jr.’s vaccine policy and rhetoric impacting USC, Van Orman said she could not comment on it.

“I think in my role, what I want to do is keep educating, being transparent about what good public health policy looks like on a university campus and moving forward with that,” she said.

There has also been a substantial rise in reported flu cases, according to the Los Angeles Times. As of late January, only 47.7% of California’s children have received flu vaccinations – which is the lowest since at least the 2019-2020 flu season.

Unlike the measles vaccine, flu shots are not required but are highly recommended to USC students. Van Orman said to Annenberg Media in early February that the “uptake of flu vaccines has really declined on-campus.”

The chief health officer also referenced former physician, Andrew Wakefield, who suggested a link between the MMRV vaccine and autism in children. This study has been thoroughly discredited by the medical community. Despite its retraction, the misinformation it propagated has continued to greatly influence public perception.

“The misinformation and disinformation about vaccines is reaching new levels — levels that I’ve never seen in my experience — and this is really leaving us vulnerable,” Van Orman said.