At least 160 troops have been sickened and one trainee has died amid a viral flu outbreak at an Air Force base that struck less than two months after the military scrapped its flu vaccination requirements.
In April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that troops would no longer need to get the annual flu shot, jettisoning a rule that had been in place since the 1950s.
Now, Lackland Air Force Base in southern Texas is reported to be battling a flu outbreak at a training wing where hundreds sleep, eat and congregate in close quarters.
And earlier this week, a trainee in his sixth week of basic training died after becoming sick.
Keon McDaniel was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center last week after ‘he experienced a medical emergency… where he subsequently passed away’, the Air Force said in a news release.
The press release did not state whether his death was connected to the flu outbreak, saying only that it was ‘under investigation’ while a ‘comprehensive medical review’ was carried out.
Texas Rep Joaquin Castro said in a statement: ‘After Secretary Hegseth scrapped the military’s flu vaccine mandate, it was only a matter of time before an outbreak occurred.
‘It was a reckless decision that put troops in harm’s way and undermined our military readiness.’
Shown above is a military policeman closing a gate at Lackland Air Force Base in 2021
He added: ‘I am especially concerned by the tragic death of a trainee this past week.
‘My office has requested the Department of Defense provide a full accounting of the outbreak and investigate the circumstances of the trainee’s death. For the well-being of our servicemembers and community, public health policies must be guided by science, not politics.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the Air Force for comment and has not yet received a response.
In a response to the New York Times, which first reported the story, Air Force officials said the recent outbreak was ‘localized’ to the training wing and that medical personnel were monitoring and offering antiviral medication to trainees who were in contact with sick individuals.
An Air Force official added that since the policy took effect, only about 40 percent of trainees had opted to get the flu vaccine.
In the aftermath of the outbreak, reports suggest that all trainees at the base are now being required to get the flu shot in order to stem the spread of the virus.
When announcing the end of the vaccine requirement in April, Hegseth said his department was ‘restoring freedom’ to the forces.
‘Under the disastrous Biden administration, this Pentagon waged an unrelenting war on our warriors on many fronts, including when it came to denying them simple medical autonomy and the freedom to express their religious convictions,’ he said in a video released at the time.
Shown above are military trainees at the Lackland base in Texas. They were pictured in 2019
‘In other words, our men and women in uniform were forced to choose between their conscience and their country.’
More than 37,000 trainees pass through the 37th Training Wing at the base in southern Texas every year.
The Pentagon drew criticism when it first announced that the vaccination policy was to be scrapped.
Senator John Wicker, of Mississippi, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called ending the requirement a ‘mistake’ at the time.
He said the flu vaccine had been shown to be safe, and drew a contrast between this shot and that for Covid.
He said: ‘I don’t equate them with Covid shots, which were largely experimental and had not stood the test of time.
‘When I was on active duty and a reservist, I dutifully took my flu shot every year. And as a whole, it made for a healthier [armed forces].’
The move was an expansion of the policy update last year, which exempted reservists from the annual flu shot.
More than 8,000 service members were separated from the military for not complying with the Covid vaccine mandate at the Pentagon.
