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Flu sickens scores of troops at Air Force base in Texas after Pentagon ends vaccine requirement
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- Over 200 U.S. airmen and trainees at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have fallen ill due to a flu outbreak, primarily affecting the base’s basic training wing.
- The outbreak occurred less than two months after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ended the annual flu vaccine mandate for U.S. troops, calling the requirement “absurd” and “overreaching.”
- In response to the outbreak, the Air Force requested and received an exemption to mandate flu vaccinations at Lackland, and vaccination efforts have since begun.
- Medical personnel are isolating and treating symptomatic trainees with antiviral medications like Tamiflu, while monitoring close contacts to prevent further spread.
- Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell emphasized that flu vaccination remains voluntary across military departments, with exemptions granted to maintain operational readiness and personnel health.
