{"id":2632,"date":"2026-06-25T09:03:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2632"},"modified":"2026-06-25T09:03:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:03:16","slug":"pentagon-restores-mandatory-flu-shots-for-all-recruits-as-boot-camp-outbreak-sickens-nearly-300","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2632","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon restores mandatory flu shots for all recruits as boot camp outbreak sickens nearly 300"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Pentagon said Wednesday that boot camps for all the military services are once again requiring the flu vaccination for all recruits after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the shot optional for the military at the end of April.<\/p>\n

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The development, confirmed to The Associated Press by a Pentagon official, comes amid a growing, weekslong, flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force\u2019s boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base that has sickened nearly 300 people. However, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not cleared for public release, maintained that the permission to mandate the vaccinations was unrelated to the outbreak.<\/p>\n

When Hegseth first announced the repeal of the flu vaccine mandate in April, citing \u201cmedical autonomy\u201d and religious freedom, he allowed the services to ask for exceptions \u2014 or permission to keep the vaccine mandatory \u2014 within 15 days of the rollout.<\/p>\n

The Pentagon official explained that the decision on those exceptions were being finalized earlier in June and the timing with the outbreak at Lackland was just a coincidence. Only 40% of the new trainees moving through the bootcamp at Lackland opted to receive the shot once it became optional, a source familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. The person spoke on the conditional of anonymity because the information was not cleared for public release.<\/p>\n

The base handles roughly 700 new recruits every week, according to Air Force figures, and the close quarters environment has long been recognized as being conducive to the spread of disease.<\/p>\n

Recruits are exposed to high stress, low sleep, and close contact conditions for weeks. They typically sleep together in large, open rooms, shower communally, and conduct much of their instruction and inspections in close contact.<\/p>\n

The Lackland outbreak, which is now roughly three weeks long, has produced 275 confirmed cases of the flu, Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said in a social media post. Castro\u2019s district includes part of the base on which the Air Force boot camp resides.<\/p>\n

The new outbreak is \u201cnot unusually concerning,\u201d said Dr. Arnold Monto, a flu expert and emeritus professor at the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n

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Flu is mainly a problem in the late fall and winter \u2013 \u201cflu season,\u201d as it is known. But flu viruses routinely circulate at lower levels in warmer months, too.<\/p>\n

Concentrated flu outbreaks can occur in the spring and summer, but tend to be seen mainly on military bases, cruise ships and other settings where a lot of people are gathered together indoors, Monto said.<\/p>\n

If you want to prevent flu outbreaks, \u201cit is especially necessary to vaccinate when there are group settings,\u201d Monto said.<\/p>\n

In a statement to the media, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon\u2019s top spokesman, confirmed that exceptions were granted to the Army, Navy, and Air Force as well as the National Security Agency and the Defense Health Agency but wouldn\u2019t offer further details.<\/p>\n

However, both Army and Navy officials have said that they have also asked for permission to make the shot mandatory for certain broad groups that include troops deploying overseas, healthcare workers, and child care workers.<\/p>\n

Families Fighting Flu, an advocacy organization, cheered any change to increase vaccinations.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades, the military prioritized the health and safety of troops and the public by requiring flu vaccine for recruits. It\u2019s unfortunate that more than 200 individuals at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas became ill when that requirement was rescinded.\u201d said Michele Slafkosky, the organization\u2019s executive director, in a statement.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis updated guidance from the military will save lives,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pentagon says military boot camps are once again requiring flu vaccinations for all recruits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nPentagon restores mandatory flu shots for all recruits as boot camp outbreak sickens nearly 300 - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2632\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pentagon restores mandatory flu shots for all recruits as boot camp outbreak sickens nearly 300 - 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