Air Force Unit in Texas Faces Flu Outbreak Weeks After Vaccine Requirement Dropped
The outbreak has led to two hospitalizations and a 40% flu vaccination rate among recruits since the mandate was lifted, sources said.
- As of Wednesday, at least 159 recruits at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio contracted influenza, with two hospitalized, the Air Force confirmed in a statement describing a "localized influenza outbreak among trainees at Basic Military Training."
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made flu vaccinations optional in April, ending a longstanding mandate; vaccination rates among recruits at the San Antonio base subsequently dropped to 40% from nearly 100% previously.
- The virus spread through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing where recruits share bunk beds and communal meals; trainee Keon McDaniel died Friday following a medical emergency, though it remains unclear if the death is flu-related.
- Medical professionals implemented mitigation measures to isolate symptomatic trainees, who are receiving "the appropriate care" including antiviral medications, and affected recruits will return to training after medical clearance.
- Pentagon officials defended the policy change as "based upon thorough risk assessments" designed to maximize readiness, while public health specialists warn that removing mandates for recruits in group settings may lead to future complications.
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Lackland Air Base (San Antonio, Texas): 159 recruits have been suffering from flu in the last two weeks and two of them have been hospitalized. The outbreak has been ...
The Independent
The Independent (US)Air Force base hit with flu outbreak after Hegseth lifts vaccine requirement: report
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon was canceling what he called the ‘absurd’ requirement to get a yearly flu shot
Hegseth Under Fire as Lackland Flu Outbreak Infects 160 Air Force Trainees Weeks After Vaccine Rule Change
Approximately 160 recruits at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have contracted influenza just weeks after the Pentagon scrapped its mandatory flu jab, putting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth under intense scrutiny over the decision to relax vaccination rules. Medical staff noted the virus moved swiftly through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing, according to The New York Times. The facility houses trainees in close quarters where they slee…
Pete Hegseth recently abolished mandatory flu vaccination for the military. Now 159 people have fallen ill with the flu at a US air base.
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