Pentagon Reinstates Flu Shots After Base Outbreak
The reversal follows a weekslong outbreak that sickened more than 220 trainees and led to at least two hospitalizations, officials said.
- On Wednesday, the U.S. military reinstated mandatory flu vaccinations for new recruits following a sharp spike in influenza cases at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rescinded the flu vaccine mandate in April, describing the requirement as "irrational," causing vaccination rates among trainees to plummet from nearly 100 percent to 40 percent.
- At least 222 recruits have fallen ill and four have been hospitalized during the localized outbreak at the San Antonio base, where trainees live in close quarters.
- Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Tuesday that the military granted exceptions to Hegseth's voluntary policy, allowing the Army, Navy, and Air Force to resume mandatory immunizations for basic trainees.
- Broader exceptions to Hegseth's voluntary rule may soon be introduced to maintain operational readiness, as the military seeks to protect forces from respiratory viruses that have historically crippled armies.
123 Articles
123 Articles
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US Military Reinstates Some Flu Vaccine Requirements After Texas Training Outbreak
The U.S. military has approved exceptions that again require flu vaccinations for some service members, coming two months after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced a new policy making them voluntary. More than 220 recruits at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas have been diagnosed with influenza this month, with four having been hospitalized. On Wednesday, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell revealed that the undersecretary for war…
'Completely Incompetent': Pentagon Slammed For Reinstating Flu Vaccine After Nearly 300 Fall Ill at Air Force Boot Camp
Just weeks after the Pentagon made flu vaccinations optional in the name of 'medical autonomy', military officials have reversed course and restored the requirement for all new recruits. The decision comes amid a significant flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, where nearly 300 trainees have reportedly fallen ill. Although defence officials insist the timing is merely coincidental, critics have seized on the development as evidence …
A local outbreak of influenza on a Texas Air Force base was apparently enough for the Pentagon to reverse the recently relaxed vaccination policy. After more than 220 recruits had to get sick at Lackland Air Force Base and four had to be treated inpatiently, Army, Navy and Air Force received exemptions from the new voluntary vaccination rule. Again, the influenza vaccination can be ordered in certain areas.
Military requiring flu vaccines for recruits as Air Force base deals with outbreak
All military branches began requiring recruits to get flu vaccines earlier this month, an exception to Pete Hegseth's decision to lift the military's vaccine mandate, a Pentagon official said.
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