Oklahoma Health Department Refuses to Share County
Oklahoma Watch••health
Key Points:
- Oklahoma is facing measles and whooping cough outbreaks but remains the only state that does not share measles case data by county, citing HIPAA and privacy concerns, despite calls from health experts for greater transparency to help communities mitigate disease spread.
- Dr. George Monks, a Tulsa dermatologist, has repeatedly requested county-level measles data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health since March 2025 but has been denied, with the attorney general’s public access counselor supporting the state's decision.
- Other states provide more detailed measles data, with researchers emphasizing that geographic specificity, even for small case counts, is crucial for timely public health responses such as contact tracing and exposure notifications.
- Oklahoma’s Health Department argues that sharing exposure locations rather than county of
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