Flu outbreak sickens 200 trainees at Lackland Air Force Base

Flu cases rise to 222 at Texas base in outbreak blamed on Hegseth scrapping of vaccine mandate

More than 220 troops have contracted influenza at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, up from 160 reported last week in a major outbreak that comes less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that flu vaccinations would no longer be mandatory for service members. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), whose district includes Lackland, on Friday…

Flu outbreak sickens 200 trainees at Lackland Air Force Base

More than 200 service members at a Texas base have contracted the flu following a new Pentagon policy that allows flu vaccinations to be optional.Over the past three weeks, the training wing at Lackland Air Force Base has suffered from a localized influenza outbreak among trainees at Basic Military Training, an Air Force spokesperson told Military Times.“Medical professionals and Public Health officials have implemented mitigation measures to is…

Quick takes: Flu sickens US troops, Texas reports 3 more NWS cases, eligibility expands for pneumococcal vaccine

The US defense secretary lifted the flu vaccine mandate for troops 2 months ago. Now 160 trainees in Texas are sick.