A flu outbreak at Joint Base San Antonio has led to 159 confirmed cases among Air Force recruits, with two requiring hospitalization.
A flu outbreak has spread among Air Force recruits at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas, with at least 159 confirmed cases and two hospitalizations reported, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The outbreak is affecting trainees at the Air Force’s basic training facility and comes weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended the requirement for annual flu vaccinations for all US military personnel, making the shot optional instead of mandatory.
An Air Force spokesperson confirmed a “localized influenza outbreak among trainees at Basic Military Training,” adding that medical teams have implemented isolation and treatment measures to limit further spread. Symptomatic recruits are being monitored and treated, including with antiviral medications such as Tamiflu, and will return to training once cleared.
Sources said the vaccination rate among recruits at the San Antonio base has dropped to around 40% since the mandate was lifted, compared with nearly 100% under the previous requirement.
The policy change, announced in April, applied to both active-duty and reserve personnel and aligned with earlier decisions making COVID-19 vaccination optional across the military. The Pentagon has since allowed service-specific exceptions under which vaccines may still be required in certain circumstances.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said exemptions were granted for multiple services and agencies, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, NSA, and Defense Health Agency, following risk assessments aimed at balancing readiness and force protection.
Hegseth defended the policy shift earlier this year, calling the previous mandate “overly broad and not rational,” and emphasizing personal choice for service members.
Public health experts, however, have warned that military populations—particularly young recruits in close-quarter training environments—are more vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks. A Defense Health Agency study found that influenza hospitalizations have historically been highest among service members under 25, especially new recruits.