bird flu © Berit Kessler – stock.adobe.com
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award roughly $590 million to Moderna to accelerate the development of mRNA-based pandemic influenza vaccines, including vaccines for avian flu strains, to ensure the United States is better prepared for future potential pandemics, according to a recent HHS news release.
The two main avian influenza strains of interest are the H5N1 strain and the H7N9 strain. Symptoms of avian influenza in humans include conjunctivitis, fever and cough.
The H5N1 strain, commonly found in wild birds, is an area of interest for Moderna because of the recent outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows in the United States. Since 2022, there have been 67 confirmed cases of human transmission and one death, with 66 of these cases diagnosed in 2024,…