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Scores Fall Ill at Air Force Base After Hegseth Makes Flu Vaccine Optional
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been sickened by a major flu outbreak less than two months after the flu vaccine requirement was lifted for U.S. troops.
- The outbreak spread rapidly through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing, where recruits live and eat in close communal settings.
- A trainee in his sixth week of basic training died after falling ill, though it is not yet clear if his death was related to the flu; a medical review is ongoing.
- Since the vaccine mandate ended on April 21, only about 40% of Air Force trainees have chosen to get vaccinated.
- In response to the outbreak, the Air Force reinstated a vaccine requirement specifically for recruits at Lackland to help control the spread of the virus.
