U.S. Military Reinstates Flu Vaccine Mandate After Texas Outbreak

After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made seasonal flu vaccination voluntary for all service members and Department of Defense civilians in April, the Army, Navy and Air Force have now reinstated mandatory flu shots for new recruits, deploying personnel, healthcare workers and other groups following a flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

The outbreak has sickened at least 222 recruits, hospitalized four, and resulted in the death of recruit Keon McDaniel on June 12. Officials say there is no clear evidence linking the death to influenza or to the earlier policy change, and some medical experts have challenged media reports that tie the outbreak directly to the end of the mandate.