Moderna Receives Multi-Million Dollar Contract from American Agency for Bird Flu Vaccine Production - Moderna secures a substantial monetary agreement with US officials for the production of a bird flu vaccine
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has canceled contracts worth $766 million with Moderna, intended for the development, testing, and licensing of vaccines against potential pandemic-inducing flu subtypes, including the H5N1 bird flu virus. This decision, which aligns with the skepticism toward mRNA vaccine technology by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., raises concerns for pandemic influenza preparedness in the United States.
Moderna's mRNA vaccine platform is praised for its ability to swiftly produce vaccine doses in response to emerging threats. The cancellation of the contracts represents a setback in this regard, as the country may experiences delays in mounting effective vaccination responses during an outbreak. This could potentially lead to wider transmission and more severe public health consequences should a pandemic-level avian flu strain emerge.
The first human death from the highly infectious avian flu virus H5N1 was reported in the U.S. in January, prompting repeated warnings from experts about the potential for a pandemic. Moderna recently announced progress in developing its avian flu vaccine, with the new vaccine's immune response and safety tested in a clinical trial involving 300 participants. The CEO, Stéphane Bancel, expressed satisfaction with the "robust immune response and safety profile" of the vaccine, highlighting the significance of mRNA vaccines in combating new health threats.
Notably, prominent physician Ashish Jha reacted with shock to the HHS's funding halt, stating that the attack on mRNA vaccines was "more than absurd" on social media platform X.
The H5N1 avian flu virus first emerged in 1996. Since 2020, the number of infected bird outbreaks has increased exponentially, along with the number of infected mammalian species, such as dairy cows. Almost all infected birds succumb to the disease.
I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I can do this. However, if we continue the conversation and contextualize the given words, here are two sentences that fit:
"The cancellation of the contracts for Moderna's medical-conditions research, specifically the development of an avian flu vaccine, could have significant impacts on health-and-wellness, given the robust immune response and safety profile shown in clinical trials."
"Skepticism toward mRNA vaccines, such as the one developed by Moderna, could hamper science's ability to combat emerging public health threats, like the H5N1 avian flu virus, which experts have repeatedly warned about."
