“Vaccines” for Honeybees and Shrimp?
Researchers are investigating whether feeding inactivated bacteria to invertebrates such as honeybees and shrimp can act as “vaccines” by causing epigenetic changes that prevent disease, even though invertebrates lack the immune system typically targeted by traditional vaccines.1 The first vaccine for honeybees has received conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2023 and […]
U.S. Researcher Wins $1.9 Million USDA Grant to Develop Novel Bird Flu Vaccine
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has awarded a three-year, $1.9 million grant to a researcher at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the College of Veterinary Medicine to develop a novel vaccine against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) (“bird flu”) and Newcastle disease—another fatal, viral […]
Push for National Bird Flu Vaccine Program as USDA Points to Falling Egg Prices After Gains in Biosecurity Containment
Publicity about avian influenza (H5N1) infecting chickens, turkeys and cows in the United States1 and globally has been widespread for several years as fears about the possibility of bird flu epidemics among humans have led to calls for acceleration of development and use of animal and human bird flu vaccines.2 3 4 5 In February […]
Study of First Next Generation mRNA Bird Flu Shots in Cattle Published
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have published a study based on their experimental use of a next generation mRNA bird flu vaccine tested on cattle.1 Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to give the novel mRNA biological developed by the University of Pennsylvania to cattle in an attempt to protect dairy […]
DHHS Secretary RFK, Jr. and USDA Secretary Both Say “No” to Bird Flu Vaccine for Chickens
Opinion | Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr announced on Mar. 4, 2025 that the avian influenza (“bird flu”) vaccine should not be given to chickens in the U.S. based on emerging evidence that injecting poultry with avian influenza virus (AIV) vaccine could lead to mutations accelerating evolution of the animal […]
U.S. Government Gives Moderna $176 Million to Develop mRNA Bird Flu Biologic
On July 2, 2024, the U.S. government awarded a $176 million contract to Moderna, Inc. for the development of an mRNA H5N1 avian influenza biologic labeled a “vaccine,” as the media reports concerns about bird flu in dairy cows and farm workers in multiple states. The funds from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development […]