U.S. Declares Bird Flu Emergency on July 25th, Moderna Secures $176 Million for Vaccine

Jul 29, 2024, 01:00 AM

The U.S. government has issued a Declaration of Emergency on July 25th due to the significant potential for a public health emergency from influenza A viruses with pandemic potential. Secretary Becerra has authorized the FDA Commissioner to issue Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) for avian flu vaccines. In response, the Liverpool vaccine factory is preparing pre-pandemic H5N1 bird flu vaccines as a first line of defense, according to Nigel Hilton, head of the plant. Moderna has secured a $176 million contract from the HHS to develop a new mRNA vaccine for bird flu. Additionally, Sinergium Biotech will share its bird flu vaccine data with manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries to accelerate a fair rollout if a pandemic occurs, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This initiative aims to enhance global pandemic preparedness and equitable access to vaccines.