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Military Leaders Sought Flu Vaccination Program Weeks Before Outbreak Hit Base
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- In response to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's April 21 order making the flu vaccine optional for troops, military leaders requested permission on May 5 to vaccinate trainees, particularly due to their vulnerability in communal living conditions.
- Permission to vaccinate was delayed until June 16, by which time a flu outbreak had already begun at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, sickening around 275 people and resulting in the death of a trainee, Keon McDaniel, though the cause of death was not confirmed as flu-related.
- Following the outbreak, the Pentagon reinstated mandatory flu vaccinations for all military basic training recruits, reversing the earlier policy that had been criticized for infringing on troops' religious freedom and medical autonomy.
- Secretary Hegseth criticized the previous administration for policies he described as limiting medical autonomy and religious freedom among military personnel, framing the initial removal of the vaccine mandate as part of this broader issue.
