Amid outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry flocks and dairy cows in the United States, the federal government on Friday gave three vaccine makers 72 million dollars to expand production of avian influenza vaccines for humans in case they are needed. Announced funding of US$.
The H5N1 virus has affected millions of wild and commercial birds across the country, and was first detected in dairy cows in March. As the number of animals affected increases, so do concerns about human infection. In the past, the H5N1 virus has had a high death rate in humans, so scientists are closely monitoring the virus to determine whether it poses a pandemic risk. The U.S. government has a stockpile of approved H5N1 vaccines, but today’s awards to CSL Seqirus, GSK and Sanofi double that number.
“We expect to have just over 10 million total doses filled and completed by the end of the first quarter of calendar year 2025,” said David Boucher, director of infectious disease preparedness and response at the U.S. Strategic Preparedness Office. he said. He answered this at a press conference on Friday.
Moderna, Pfizer and GSK are also working on developing mRNA vaccines for bird flu, but the vaccines must undergo human trials and be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before they can be used.
This year, 16 people have been infected with bird flu in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the two latest cases Thursday night, both in California. The individuals are farmworkers who came into contact with infected dairy cows at two facilities in the Central Valley, the epicenter of the state’s cattle outbreak. Both patients had mild symptoms, including red eyes, and are being treated with antiviral drugs. None reported respiratory symptoms and none were hospitalized.
Nirav Shah, CDC principal deputy director, said that even with the new cases, the CDC’s risk assessment for the general public remains low and that won’t change. “The discovery of these two cases was not unexpected,” he said at a press conference on Friday. “As more herds test positive, more workers become infected, and as more workers become infected, the likelihood of human transmission increases.”
Both cases in California are believed to be cases of animal-to-human transmission, but the link or contact between the two is unknown. California health officials are tracing the worker’s close contacts, including household members who are dairy workers.
The CDC announced in the coming days that it would conduct additional testing on virus samples, including genetic sequencing to monitor changes in the virus. Scientists are particularly interested in whether the virus has undergone new mutations that make it more likely to spread from person to person. The agency says there is currently no evidence that the virus can be transmitted from person to person.
Of the 16 confirmed human cases, six were associated with contact with sick or infected dairy cows and nine with contact with infected poultry. The source of infection in the Missouri case has not been determined.
(Tag Translation) Science
