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US military races to vaccinate new recruits before flu shots expire
US army soldiers conduct operations during combat training in Killeen, Texas, in 2025. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images View image in fullscreen US army soldiers conduct operations during combat training in Killeen, Texas, in 2025. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images US military races to vaccinate new recruits before flu shots expire Move comes amid growing outbreak in Texas and after two-month halt on mandatory shots The US military is racing to vaccinate new recruits after a two-month halt on mandatory flu shots – but it’s a temporary reprieve, as the shots will soon expire and new doses will not be available for months. Officials will need to lean on other prevention measures to contain the growing flu outbreak at Lackland air force base in San Antonio, Texas, experts say. The flu vaccines now being deployed across military basic training camps are set to expire on 30 June, and new doses will not arrive until August or later. It’s possible military leaders will extend use of the vaccines beyond their expiration date, but that’s “unlikely”, said Toti Sanchez, the former deputy chief at the armed forces health surveillance division of the US Defense Health Agency. And stock of the vaccine is typically low at this time of year as manufacturers switch to making the next season’s doses. “The earliest that we’ve been able to vaccinate historically has been late August or early September – certainly by the end of September – but I don’t think you can count on them being available before maybe the fourth week of August,” Sanchez said. “You just can’t change that. The manufacturing timeline is basically etched in stone,” he added. US military services, including the air force, army and navy, reinstituted flu vaccine requirements for new recruits earlier this week after defense secretary Pete Hegseth removed the mandate at the end of April. Military leaders have reportedly been working for weeks to reestablish the vaccine mandate, even before the Lackland outbreak sickened at least 275 people and hospitalized four. One recruit, Keon McDaniel, died earlier this month after experiencing a medical emergency. His death is still under investigation, and it’s not yet clear whether it’s linked to the flu outbreak. When Hegseth announced the mandate would end, he said services would be permitted to ask for exceptions – essentially allowing the mandate to continue – and the decisions to re-implement the requirement are part of that process. The army is also planning to mandate vaccines for overseas troops, first responders, childcare workers, healthcare personnel, prison staff and soldiers in large-scale training exercises, according to reporting by ABC. After the mandate was lifted, flu vaccination rates dropped to 40%, which is similar to the wider population. But “basic training is a unique environment”, said Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and a former civilian epidemiologist for the army. Boot camp i
