Washington (awp/afp) – The US Department of Health (HHS) announced on Friday that it would provide approximately 590 million in funding to the Moderna laboratory to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against influenza pandemics, while fears around avian flu are increasing.
This funding aims to “improve the capabilities of mRNA technology so that the United States is better prepared to respond to other emerging infectious diseases,” the Department of Health said in a statement.
“This funding allows Moderna to accelerate the development of an H5N1 mRNA influenza vaccine that is well matched to strains currently circulating in cows and birds,” HSS added.
“Accelerating the development of new vaccines will allow us to stay ahead of the curve and ensure Americans have the tools they need to stay safe,” commented outgoing Health Minister Xavier Becerra, quoted in the press release.
“Avian flu variants have proven particularly unpredictable and dangerous to humans in the past,” he also stressed.
Moderna, particularly known for its vaccines against Covid-19, specified in another press release that this agreement will make it possible to “extend the clinical studies (of the laboratory) to five subtypes of pandemic influenza”.
The US government had already announced on Thursday new funding of $211 million to a consortium comprising private and public laboratories to develop messenger RNA vaccines against emerging diseases, with the aim of accelerating testing on avian flu.
-In the United States, 67 people have been infected with bird flu since the start of last year, and fears of a pandemic are growing.
In early January, for the first time, an elderly man died in Louisiana after contracting the H5N1 virus.
The United States had already announced at the beginning of January to allocate $306 million in funding to public entities to support preparation and surveillance programs as well as medical research against avian flu.
This new funding comes as Donald Trump takes over from Joe Biden on Monday at the White House and there is concern about how he will manage the threat.
Mr. Trump chose Robert Kennedy Jr., a well-known vaccine skeptic, who promised to reform health agencies, to the Health Department.
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