The US government has awarded Moderna $176 million to develop a vaccine for bird flu. It follows calls for increased testing in humans after three dairy workers became infected with the H5N1 virus detected in cattle across 12 states. Funding from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority will be used for the late-stage development and testing of a pre-pandemic mRNA-based vaccine, the pharmaceutical giant said in a statement.
Bird flu pandemic 'unfolding in slow motion' - fears human infections will rise Call for ‘high risk’ Americans to be vaccinated as bird flu surges CEO Stéphane Bancel referenced the COVID-19 pandemic as she address the potency of mRNA vaccines. She said: "mRNA vaccine technology offers advantages in efficacy, speed of development, and production scalability and reliability in addressing infectious disease outbreaks, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The move shows Washington is taking warnings about bird flu seriously amid concerns raised by disease experts over a lack of testing.
In March, the first outbreak of the H5N1 virus was detected in dairy cattle. Since then, more than 130 herds in 12 states have experienced outbreaks. Scientists fear the virus will mutate and begin to spread more easily among humans, sparking a new pandemic.
Last week, Finland became the first country in the world to start bird flu vaccinations for humans. Vaccines for 10,000 people - made up of two injections - were purchased as part of .
