Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other official health agencies

Biden Administration Commits $306 Million to Combat H5N1 Bird Flu Before Trump's Office

Jan 3, 2025, 01:35 PM

The Biden administration is intensifying efforts to combat a potential bird flu outbreak in humans by committing an additional $306 million. This funding will be distributed in the next two weeks before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office. The money is designated for improving hospital preparedness, early stage research on therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccines. The administration has already spent over $1.8 billion on battling bird flu since last spring, with the majority allocated to the Agriculture Department for animal-related efforts and the rest to the Health and Human Services Department for human protection. The focus of the new funds includes maintaining state and local efforts to track and test people exposed to infected animals, and outreach to livestock workers and others at high risk. Federal health officials are particularly concerned about the H5N1 strain, with about $103 million of the new funds allocated specifically for these efforts.