How a US agriculture agency became key in the fight against bird flu

Donald Trump, since he took office in January, withdrawn preparations for a potential bird’s epidemic of a leading US Public Health Agency. But when he comes back, another state institution is accelerating.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) organized regular briefings about the efforts to prevent a wider epidemic of a deadly bird flu virus called H5N1 in humans, while Trump has stopped to a great extent when he took office. It also canceled the funds for a vaccine that will target the virus. On the other hand, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) increased its struggle, including the development of animal husbandry vaccines against the spread of H5N1 to flocks and flocks of animal husbandry.

This special virus – a type of bird flu called H5N1 – pose an important threat to people, roughly half of 1000 people Positive testing since 2003 worldwide. As pathogenic spreads rapidly, it is weakly adapted to infectious people and is unknown that it is transmitted among humans. However, this may change if it obtains mutations that allow it to spread more easily between mammals – an increasing risk of every mammal infection.

H5N1’s probability of being more dangerous for people has grown significantly since March 2024, when the virus jumped from immigrant birds to Milk cows in Texas. More than that 1.070 herds It has been influenced in 17 states since then.

The H5N1 also makes the virus closer to people, transmitting to poultry. Almost since 2022 175 million domestic birds It was removed in the USA due to H5N1 and almost all 71 people Positive testers had a direct contact with animal husbandry.

“We should take this seriously because when [H5N1] It is constantly spreading, it is constantly pouring into people, ”he says Seema Lakewala At the University of Emory in Georgia. The virus has already killed a person in the United States and Child in Mexico This year.

Nevertheless, under Trump, the cases have decreased. The last recorded human case was in February and the number of affected poultry fell 95 percent between then and between June. The outbreaks in the herds of milk have also been stabilized.

It’s not clear what’s behind the fall. Lakewala believes that it is partly caused by a stagnation in bird migration, which reduces the opportunities of the virus to spread from wild birds to animalists. It can also reflect USDA’s efforts to contain epidemics on farms. In February, a USDA 1 billion dollar plan To fight H5N1, such as farmers’ defenses against virus free biogugultural assessments. Only one of the 150 facilities in the evaluation experienced the H5N1 epidemic.

Under Trump, USDA continued its national milk test strategy, which required farms to provide raw milk samples for influenza test. If a farm is positive for H5N1, it should allow USDA to monitor livestock and apply measures to the virus. USDA Started Program in December and joined since then 45 State.

“National milk test strategy is a great system,” he says Erin Sorrell At the University of Johns Hopkins in Maryland. Sorrell is very important for USDA’s efforts to improve bioly measures on farms, as well as milk test and epidemic.

However, the USDA has increased its efforts against H5N1, but HHS does not seem to have followed the case. In fact, the last decline in human cases can reflect the decreased supervision due to labor cuts, says Sorrell. In April, HHS 10,000 employeesto contain 90 percent An office that helps the staff at the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety Investigate H5N1 epidemics Farm workers.

“If you don’t test something, there’s an old word that says you won’t find it, Sor says Sorrell. Nevertheless, the US Disease Control and Prevention Centers (CDC) spokesman, guidance and surveillance efforts It hasn’t changed. “State and local health departments continue to follow the disease in people who are exposed to sick animals,” he said. New scientist. “CDC is determined to quickly convey the information about H5N1 when necessary.”

USDA and HHS are also reserved for vaccination. USDA allocated 100 million dollars to develop vaccines and other solutions to prevent the spread of H5N1 in animal husbandry, while the HHS influenza vaccine canceled 776 million dollars of contracts for the development of vaccine. The contracts terminated on May 28 were to develop vaccines targeting influenza subtypes, including H5N1, which could cause future pandema with the pharmaceutical company. News came the day when Moderna notified Roughly 98 percent of 300 participants In a clinical study, two doses of H5 vaccine had antibody levels believed to be protective against the virus.

The United States has a stocked dose of about five million H5N1 vaccines, but they are produced by using eggs and cultured cells that last longer than MRNA -based vaccines such as Moderna. The Modernna vaccine modernizes stocks and will allow the government to rapidly produce vaccines in case of a pandemia, Sorrell says. “It looked like a very effective platform, and when we needed a vaccine for the US and others for our general people, and when it would position it on a good basis, or he says.

HHS canceled contracts due to concerns about the MRNA vaccines that Robert F Kennedy JR, the country’s highest -level public health official, had previously doubted. HHS Communication Director Andrew Nixon told him, “The truth is that MRNA technology was less tested and the taxpayer will not spend the dollar by repeating the mistakes of the last administration,” he said. New scientist.

However, MRNA technology is not new. It has been developed for more than half a century and many clinical studies have shown that MRNA vaccines are safe. While the majority carries the risk of side effects, this applies to almost any medical treatment. In a press release, Modernna said he would discover alternative financing ways for the program.

“My stance is that we shouldn’t try to get anything from the table, and it includes all kinds of vaccination regime, Lak says Lakawala.

“Vaccines are the most effective way to resist an infectious disease, Sor says Sorrell. “And so being ready to go in your ammunition and ready to go offers you more options.”