More Than 160 Trainees at Lackland Contract Influenza Weeks After Pentagon Makes Flu Shots Voluntary

More than 160 trainees at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have contracted influenza in recent weeks after the Pentagon ended the mandatory flu vaccination requirement in April. The 37th Training Wing, which processes over 36,000 recruits annually, is coordinating with the 59th Medical Wing to manage the localized outbreak among basic military trainees.

Medical personnel are isolating symptomatic trainees and monitoring close contacts for symptoms, an Air Force spokesperson said.

Symptomatic trainees receive antiviral medications such as Tamiflu and return to training once cleared by medical staff. The Air Force said a comprehensive medical review is underway after one trainee died earlier this week at Brooke Army Medical Center. The Pentagon ended the mandatory flu vaccine requirement in April, making shots voluntary for active-duty, reserve, and civilian personnel.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness reviewed exception requests and granted them to the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Security Agency, and Defense Health Agency. Decisions on vaccine exceptions were based on risk assessments intended to balance readiness and force protection, the Pentagon said.

The service stated that mitigation measures aim to reduce further exposure while maintaining training operations.

Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the policy change a mistake and said the flu vaccine has been shown safe. Rep. Joaquin Castro, whose district includes western San Antonio, said the policy shift was reckless and requested a full accounting of the outbreak and the trainee's death.