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 […]
Government Cancels $700 Million in Funding for Moderna’s Bird Flu Biologic
The U.S. government has cancelled a contract worth over $700 million awarded to Moderna, Inc. for late-stage development of an mRNA bird flu biologic for humans, as well as the right to purchase the shots. Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) issued the […]
USDA Gives Conditional License for Bird Flu Vaccine Given to Chickens
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a conditional license approval for an inactivated avian flu (bird flu) vaccine to be administered to chickens eaten by Americans. The license is being granted due to H5N1 influenza virus infections spreading in U.S. poultry. The United States has avoided giving H5N1 vaccine to until now. The […]
Former CDC Director Warns of Imminent Bird Flu Pandemic
The former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Robert Redfield, MD, has issued a warning that a bird flu pandemic is imminent because the H5N1 virus is spreading among cattle herds in the United States and there are reports of H5N1 virus infections in humans. The CDC is currently investigating […]
U.S. Stockpiles Two Bird Flu Vaccines
U.S. government health officials announced earlier this month that two bird flu vaccines are being stockpiled and will be available for shipment within weeks. They said that the bird flu stockpiling is part of their emergency preparations in the event the H5N1 virus, which now primarily infects wild birds, chickens and sometimes cows and other […]
Texas Man and Dairy Cattle Test Positive for Bird Flu
A man in Texas has tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu after direct exposure to infected dairy cattle. While this is the second recent case of bird flu identified in humans in the United States, it is the first time the disease has been found in dairy cattle.1 The first case of H5N1 in […]