Flu outbreak sickens over 160 troops at Lackland after vaccine mandate lifted
More than 160 troops have contracted influenza in recent weeks at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, part of Joint Base San Antonio, where the Air Force runs Basic Military Training. The outbreak follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision in April to make the annual flu vaccine optional for active and reserve personnel. Vaccination among recruits at the base reportedly fell from nearly 100% to about 40% after the requirement was dropped.
The Air Force said the 37th Training Wing is working “closely” with the 59th Medical Wing to isolate and treat symptomatic trainees. The mechanism here is straightforward: recruits live and train in close quarters, the setting where respiratory illness spreads fastest, so a sharp drop in coverage shows up quickly as cases. The episode is an early, measurable consequence of relaxing a long-standing military immunization rule, and the figures were first reported by The Washington Post.