US pays $72 million to pharmaceutical companies for bird flu vaccine

As the number of human cases of H5N1, also known as bird flu, grow, the United States announced on Friday, Oct. 4, that it is providing vaccine manufacturers with $72 million to double their ready-to-use bird flu vaccine stockpile. Manufacturers currently have nearly five million ready-to-use doses and expect to have about 10 million by the beginning of 2025.

The funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will allow four companies producing the inoculations to bring the vaccine out of a storage stockpile and put them in pre-filled syringes for quick distribution in case of a public health emergency.

Other companies like Pfizer and Moderna are continuing efforts to develop an mRNA bird flu vaccine similar to COVID-19 shots.

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The announcement by the U.S. comes as two more farm workers in California tested positive for the virus on Thursday, Oct. 3. They continue to be monitored for symptoms. At the time this report was published, the workers had no respiratory symptoms and only exhibited conjunctivitis or pink eye.

The latest human infections bring the total number of cases in people to 16 in the United States. Currently, there are no recommendations for anyone in the country to get a bird flu shot and health officials maintain that the risk of the virus to humans remains “low.”

DHHS said that its spending on the vaccinations is out of “an abundance of caution” and “is essential in preparing for a public health emergency.”

Meanwhile, more than 250 herds in 14 states have contracted H5N1 this year including 56 herds in California.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asserted that pasteurized milk still safe to drink and it is currently conducting tests on the safety of raw milk for human consumption.