The administration of outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden has announced $211 million in new funding to develop mRNA vaccines against new biological threats and said it is speeding up tests for bird flu as fears of a new pandemic mount.
A total of 67 people have been infected with bird flu in the United States since the outbreak began last year, including an elderly man who died in Louisiana this month.
While the virus has not been conclusively found to spread from person to person, its circulation among animals and humans is worrying scientists because it can combine with seasonal flu and mutate into a more transmissible form - potentially causing a deadly pandemic.
"This latest planned investment illustrates the Biden-Harris administration's strong response to emerging disease threats like avian flu," said Health Secretary Javier Becerra.
Companies including Moderna and Pfizer are working on mRNA vaccines against bird flu. This technology trains the body's immune system using genetic instructions, an approach that has proven highly effective against Kovid. Moderna received $176 million for this effort in July 2024.
The United States also maintains a stockpile of millions of doses of H5N1 vaccine, based on traditional methods that target earlier strains of the virus but are expected to provide robust protection if needed, experts say.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that all positive tests for influenza A, especially from hospitalized patients, will be expedited for additional testing to check for the presence of H5N1. | BGNES
