Federal officials have announced plans to double the stockpile of emergency bird flu vaccines amid increasing cases of H5N1 avian influenza among humans. During a briefing on Friday, officials revealed that three manufacturers have been awarded $72 million to bolster pandemic preparedness against avian influenza.
This funding aims to increase the stockpile to 10 million doses by next spring, building on the initial 4.8 million doses prepared earlier this summer. Despite the creation of these doses, they have not yet been utilized, and officials emphasize that the risk to the general public remains low.
In recent months, 16 cases of H5N1 avian influenza have been reported in humans, all exhibiting mild symptoms and no signs of human-to-human transmission. Health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stressed that the overall risk to the public is low, but they remain vigilant.
The $72 million funding is allocated to three companies: CSL Seqirus, which produced the initial doses, and two others, Sanofi and GSK. These companies will be responsible for filling and finishing the doses, ensuring that vaccines are prepared for distribution if necessary. Additionally, they will manufacture components for vaccines against circulating influenza strains, with Sanofi maintaining a stable supply of eggs for future production of egg-based vaccines.
In a related development, the number of infected herds in California has led to an increase in reported cases among dairy workers. Two new cases were confirmed on Thursday, bringing the total to six cases involving dairy workers, with the remainder being poultry workers in Colorado.
The infected workers displayed common symptoms, such as eye redness, after coming into contact with infected animals. As the number of infected herds grows, health officials are concerned that more workers will be exposed, increasing the likelihood of human infection. A recent case in Missouri is also under investigation, as the source of infection remains unknown.
In response to the growing number of cases, the CDC has begun distributing seasonal flu vaccines to farm workers, aimed at reducing the risk of seasonal flu, which could potentially complicate the situation for those already at risk of avian influenza.
The agency’s goal is to prevent cross-reactivity between seasonal flu and bird flu, which could lead to mutations that allow for easier transmission or more severe disease. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is enforcing quarantine measures for infected farms in California and testing milk in a 10-kilometer radius around these farms to detect any traces of H5N1.
California officials have adopted bulk milk sampling as a primary detection method for the virus in infected herds. This method has proven effective in Colorado, where officials were able to track and isolate the virus after significant infections were reported.
Currently, only one out of 86 herds in Colorado remains infected, showcasing the potential success of these testing protocols. The situation remains critical in California, the nation’s largest milk producer, but federal regulators maintain that pasteurization effectively eliminates the bird flu virus in dairy products, providing some reassurance to consumers.
