The U.S. government will give pharmaceutical company Moderna $176 million for a High Path Avian Flu vaccine, according to Reuters.
It uses the same technology as the COVID-19 vaccine, and Moderna began development and testing it last year on adults.
“mRNA vaccine technology offers advantages in efficacy, speed of development and production, scalability, and reliability in addressing infectious disease outbreaks, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel.
So far, four agriculture workers have contracted the virus since 2022.
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Starting Monday, April 29, the USDA will require free avian flu (HPAI H5N1) testing on all dairy cattle before interstate travel. Positive cases must be directly reported to the USDA for tracing.
After months of declining consumer egg prices, buyers could be facing a sharp increase in costs as prices surge upwards once again.
Researchers out of the United Kingdom are using gene editing technology to help make High-Path Avian Flu less of a threat to poultry.