A worsening flu outbreak among recruits attending basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, has prompted the Air Force to request the reinstatement of a mandatory flu shot requirement. The outbreak, which has sickened at least 275 recruits, began earlier this month while an Air Force request to reinstate the mandatory flu shot requirement was being processed.
Background
In April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegesth announced that the flu vaccine would no longer be mandatory for US troops, allowing military services to request exemptions. The Air Force submitted its exception request for basic training attendees on May 5, but the request took more than a month to be approved.
The outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base has been described as “getting worse” by Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, whose district includes the base. A recruit at the base died in a military hospital on June 16, but it is unclear whether the death is linked to the flu outbreak.
The Air Force confirmed that around 60% of previously unvaccinated trainees at Lackland initially declined the flu shot during the vaccine requirement’s lapse. The vaccine mandate for Air Force recruits was restored on June 11, and unvaccinated trainees at Lackland received the flu shot within weeks.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
