Military reinstates flu shot requirement for recruits as base outbreak grows
The U.S. military is again requiring new recruits to receive influenza vaccinations after an outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas reached 275 confirmed cases , according to The Hill. The reinstated requirement reverses the earlier removal of the services’ flu shot mandate by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The reversal is notable because it runs against the broader direction of the administration’s vaccine policy, which has loosened requirements and recommendations. Basic-training installations such as Lackland, where large numbers of recruits live and train in close quarters, are unusually vulnerable to respiratory outbreaks, and the practical demands of keeping a training pipeline running appear to have outweighed the policy preference for fewer mandates.