U.S. Boosts Bird Flu Defense with Vaccine Funding

The U.S. federal government is intensifying its efforts to combat the potential threat of a bird flu pandemic by funding the development of mRNA vaccines, with Moderna receiving $590 million to expedite vaccine production. Despite the low risk to the general public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises hospitals to quickly test patients hospitalized with influenza A for bird flu within 24 hours to improve case identification and infection control. This comes after confirmation of human cases, including a child's recovery in San Francisco and a fatality in Louisiana, without evidence of human-to-human transmission. The CDC's recommendation aims to prevent delays in identifying bird flu infections and ensure faster public health responses, especially given the virus's spread among dairy cows and poultry. As part of the wider response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is actively working to curb the spread among livestock, spending $1.5 billion on these efforts. Meanwhile, the economic impact is being felt in rising egg prices due to decreased supply from affected poultry farms.