Flu vaccine no longer mandated for US troops, Hegseth says
AP News
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. military will no longer mandate the flu vaccine for American troops.
He cited “medical autonomy” and religious freedom.
Vaccination programs in the U.S. military date back to the American Revolution.
But they became a contentious political issue during the coronavirus pandemic, when more than 8,400 troops were forced out of the military for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
About 150 of those service members have been reinstated under the Trump administration.
The Congressional Research Service listed eight mandatory vaccines for service members in 2021.
They included vaccines for polio, tetanus and the measles as well as hepatitis A and B.
Pentagon Scraps Military Flu Vaccine
- US military will no longer require annual flu vaccine, Hegseth says Scripps News —
- Hegseth ends mandatory flu vaccine for US military, says shot is now optional ABC News —
- Flu vaccine no longer mandated for US troops, Hegseth says ABC7 Los Angeles —
- Pentagon revokes mandatory flu vaccine policy, calling it 'absurd' USA Today —
- Pentagon rolls back military flu vaccine requirement after ‘era of betrayal’ Washington Examiner —