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THERE HAVE BEEN NO INJURIES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED SO FAR. A SEVENTH CHILD HAS NOW DIED FROM THE FLU HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS, AND STATE OFFICIALS SAY THE SEASON IS NOT OVER YET. JOINING US NOW IS DOCTOR SIMONE WILDES, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, DOCTOR. THANK YOU, DOCTOR WILDES I MEAN SEVEN IS LIKE TEN, TWO MONTHS. BUT THIS IS SUCH SAD NEWS FOR THE PARENTS AND REALLY FOR THE IT’S SAD NEWS FOR EVERYBODY. SO WHAT MAKES THE FLU SO DANGEROUS FOR KIDS? YES. AND OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THE FAMILIES THAT HAVE LOST THEIR CHILDREN TO THE FLU. FLU IS REALLY DANGEROUS FOR CHILDREN IN PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEM IS NOT FULLY DEVELOPED. SO THEY’RE NOT ABLE TO FIGHT INFECTIONS. THEY ARE ALSO AT HIGHER RISK FOR RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS BECAUSE THEIR AIRWAYS ARE SMALLER. AND SO THEY COULD GET SWOLLEN. THEY CAN GET INFLAMED, AND HENCE THEY CAN GET PNEUMONIA, THEY CAN GET CROUP, THEY CAN GET BRONCHIOLITIS. AND CHILDREN TEND TO GET HIGHER FEVERS. SO THEY’RE AT RISK FOR DEHYDRATION, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT ABLE TO TAKE IN ENOUGH FLUIDS. SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT CAN PUT CHILDREN AT RISK FOR REALLY HAVING BAD OUTCOMES TO THE FLU. HOW LONG DOES IT TYPICALLY TAKE FOR A CHILD’S FLU SYMPTOMS TO BECOME SERIOUS? MARIA I MEAN, REALLY GREAT QUESTION. IT CAN HAPPEN REALLY QUICKLY. SOMETIMES OVERNIGHT. SOMETIMES IT CAN TAKE A FEW MORE DAYS. I THINK THE KEY TAKEAWAY IS THAT YOU NEED TO MONITOR YOUR CHILDREN CLOSELY. MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW THEY ARE NOT HAVING DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE VERY YOUNG, UNDER TWO YEARS OLD IN PARTICULAR, AND ALSO THOSE THAT HAVE UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. NOW, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR IF YOU CANNOT WAKE THEM UP, IF THEY’RE VERY LETHARGIC, PLEASE. THAT’S CONCERNING. THEY’RE HAVING DIFFICULTY BREATHING. IF YOU NOTICE THEY’RE DEHYDRATED. AND BY THAT I MEAN THEY’RE NOT MAKING ANY PEE. THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO HAVE ANY TEARS. THEIR MOUTH IS VERY DRY. AND OF COURSE, IF YOU NOTICE BLUISH LIPS OR FACE, PLEASE SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. SO, DOCTOR WILDES, IS IT SAFE FOR KIDS TO TAKE AN ANTIVIRAL MEDICATION, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE TAMIFLU OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YES. YOU KNOW, TAMIFLU HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE SAFE IN CHILDREN IN PARTICULAR, STARTING EVEN AS YOUNG AS TWO WEEKS OLD. THE KEY THING IS YOU NEED TO GET YOUR DOCTOR TO WRITE THE PRESCRIPTION OR YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. REALLY IMPORTANT TAMIFLU NEEDS TO BE TAKEN WITHIN THE FIRST 48 HOURS. OTHERWISE IT’S NOT VERY EFFECTIVE. AND A KEY TAKEAWAY THAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS TAMIFLU IS REALLY JUST FOR THE FLU. IT DOESN’T TREAT THE OTHER COLD AND OTHER VIRAL INFECTIONS. I KNOW THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE FLU VACCINE IS REALLY IMPORTANT. I KNOW WE’RE IN FEBRUARY, BUT WE STILL HAVE CASES. SO IF YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE FLU VACCINE FOR YOUR KIDS OR YOURSELF, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO GET ONE. DOCTOR, THANK Y
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military will no longer require the annual flu vaccine for troops.”Our new policy is simple. If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you’re free to take it. You should,” Hegseth said in a video posted on X, adding, “But we will not force you.”The move, which takes effect immediately, comes as the flu season has largely ended with cases on the decline, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Annual flu vaccines are available for people age six months and older and are widely recommended by doctors to reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization or death from the flu.In the video, Hegseth claimed “absurd, overreaching” medical mandates, like the military’s flu vaccine requirement, “only weaken our war-fighting capabilities.””The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member everywhere in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational,” the defense secretary said.The military’s first flu vaccine mandate dates back to 1945, according to an analysis of military vaccine mandates in the United States, due in part to the flu’s “historic damage and threat as a bioweapon.” It was withdrawn in 1949 but was later mandated again in the early 1950s.Hegseth in the video also criticized the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for troops put in place during the Biden administration, which was rescinded in 2023. Shortly after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reinstate, with back pay, service members, who were discharged for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.Of the nearly 9,000 service members who were pushed out of the military because they declined to get the vaccine under the prior mandate, about 150 had rejoined as of earlier this year.Last year, the Pentagon exempted reservists from the flu vaccine requirement. In a memo obtained by the Associated Press, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg said there are only some circumstances in which the flu shot is required for all service members.More broadly, the Trump administration, particularly Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has sought to reshape the country’s vaccine policy and cast doubt on certain vaccines.In July, HHS adopted a recommendation to remove thimerosal from flu vaccines, although it was largely removed from most vaccines about 25 years ago. Kennedy argued that with the move, the agency is putting “safety first,” though there is no clear evidence of harm from the mercury-based preservative, which was used to prevent bacterial contamination in multidose vials.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military will no longer require the annual flu vaccine for troops.
“Our new policy is simple. If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you’re free to take it. You should,” Hegseth said in a video posted on X, adding, “But we will not force you.”
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The move, which takes effect immediately, comes as the flu season has largely ended with cases on the decline, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Annual flu vaccines are available for people age six months and older and are widely recommended by doctors to reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization or death from the flu.
In the video, Hegseth claimed “absurd, overreaching” medical mandates, like the military’s flu vaccine requirement, “only weaken our war-fighting capabilities.”
“The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member everywhere in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational,” the defense secretary said.
The military’s first flu vaccine mandate dates back to 1945, according to an analysis of military vaccine mandates in the United States, due in part to the flu’s “historic damage and threat as a bioweapon.” It was withdrawn in 1949 but was later mandated again in the early 1950s.
Hegseth in the video also criticized the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for troops put in place during the Biden administration, which was rescinded in 2023. Shortly after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reinstate, with back pay, service members, who were discharged for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Of the nearly 9,000 service members who were pushed out of the military because they declined to get the vaccine under the prior mandate, about 150 had rejoined as of earlier this year.
Last year, the Pentagon exempted reservists from the flu vaccine requirement. In a memo obtained by the Associated Press, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg said there are only some circumstances in which the flu shot is required for all service members.
More broadly, the Trump administration, particularly Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has sought to reshape the country’s vaccine policy and cast doubt on certain vaccines.
In July, HHS adopted a recommendation to remove thimerosal from flu vaccines, although it was largely removed from most vaccines about 25 years ago. Kennedy argued that with the move, the agency is putting “safety first,” though there is no clear evidence of harm from the mercury-based preservative, which was used to prevent bacterial contamination in multidose vials.
