The Trump administration has just canceled a nearly $600 million contract with Moderna that was meant to develop a bird flu vaccine. This decision wipes out early access to vaccine doses in the event of a pandemic and undoes a key preparedness agreement put in place in January. It also tosses aside a $175 million investment made in the same project just last year.
Why does this matter? Since 2024, the H5N1 bird flu virus has spread to over 1,000 dairy cattle herds across 17 states and has already infected at least 70 people mostly farm workers. Globally, this strain of bird flu is extremely deadly, killing about half of the people who catch it. Right now, the risk to the general public is considered low, but experts warn that the virus could mutate and start spreading more easily between people.
Canceling vaccine development at this stage could leave the U.S. unprepared if that happens. It’s a gamble with public health.
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