The United States has just announced an envelope of more than 300 million dollars to strengthen the national response to avian flu.
In a statement, Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said this funding will support national, state and local preparedness and surveillance programs, as well as medical research against the H5N1 virus.
Read also: Avian flu in the United States: a first case detected in a child
« Even though the risk to humans is low, we always prepare for all possible scenarios“, the US official said, noting that the preparation “ is the key to keeping Americans healthy and our country safe« .
The United States has detected 66 human cases of avian flu since the start of 2024, and others may have gone unnoticed, according to authorities.
No spread of the disease from person to person has been observed, but the level of circulation of the virus worries researchers. The risk being that it mixes with that of seasonal flu, risking triggering a deadly pandemic, like those of 1918 and 2009.
With MAP
