"Absurd Measure": Backlash After Vaccine Mandate Repeal Leads to Mass Flu Outbreak Among U.S. Troops

More than 150 service members at a U.S. Air Force base have been infected in a mass outbreak of influenza.

The incident occurred less than two months after the Trump administration abolished the mandatory flu vaccination policy for military personnel.

The Washington Post reported on June 19 (local time) that over 150 service members at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have contracted the flu over the past three weeks.

The U.S. Air Force stated that it is managing an influenza outbreak among service members of the 37th Training Wing, who were undergoing basic military training.

The wing is a large-scale training facility that processes 36,000 new recruits annually.

Amid this situation, it was also revealed that Keon McDaniel, a trainee at the facility, passed away on June 12 due to a sudden health emergency.

Military authorities are investigating whether there is a link between the death and the current flu outbreak.

This mass infection occurred shortly after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth completely abolished the U.S. military's mandatory flu vaccination policy.

On April 21, Secretary Hegseth criticized mandatory vaccinations as an "absurd and excessive measure" that only weakens combat readiness.

He then declared the immediate repeal of the regulation.

Although public health experts expressed widespread concern at the time, the Trump administration, which had been skeptical of vaccine efficacy, pushed ahead with the policy repeal.

However, following the mass outbreak, the U.S. Department of War has taken a step back.

The Army, Navy, Air Force, and the National Security Agency (NSA) have been re-authorized to mandate vaccinations in specific situations.

The New York Times reported that the Air Force received approval for this voluntary mandate policy and has begun administering flu shots to new recruits at Lackland Air Force Base.

The U.S. military first made flu vaccinations mandatory in 1945, toward the end of World War II.

It was a painful decision made after approximately 26,000 U.S. troops died during a global pandemic during World War I.

The policy was briefly withdrawn in 1949, reinstated in the 1950s, and had been firmly in place for decades until the Trump administration abolished it earlier this year.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.