TRACKING EMERGING VIRUSES – May 28, 2025 – BIRD FLU
“US cancels more than $700 million funding for Moderna bird flu vaccine
By Patrick Wingrove”
“An HHS spokesperson said that after a comprehensive internal review, the agency had determined that the project did not meet the scientific standards or safety expectations required for continued federal investment.”
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“Trump administration pulls the plug on the bird flu vaccine”
By Rob Stein
“The Department of Health and Human Services said it is terminating a $766 million contract with the vaccine company Moderna to develop an mRNA vaccine to protect people against flu strains with pandemic potential, including the H5N1 bird flu virus that’s been raising fears.
“”This is not simply about efficacy — it’s about safety, integrity, and trust. The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public,” Nixon said.
He added that “the move signals a shift in federal vaccine funding priorities toward platforms with better-established safety profiles and transparent data practices. HHS remains committed to advancing pandemic preparedness through technologies that are evidence-based, ethically grounded, and publicly accountable.” The official did not provide any additional details.
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https://www.npr.org/2025/05/28/nx-s1-5414642/trump-vaccine-bird-flu-mrna
“Trump administration yanks Moderna’s bird flu vaccine research funding even as company reports promising test results”
Dr. Ashish Jha, a public health expert who served as former President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 response coordinator, remarked about the funding withdrawal on X, saying, “This move puts the lives of Americans at risk. The attack on mRNA vaccines is beyond absurd. It was President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed that gave us mRNA vaccines. … If Bird Flu starts spreading from people to people, we will come to regret this as the day we decided to put the lives of the American people at grave risk. “
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/moderna-bird-flu-vaccine-research-funding-trump-administration-yanks/
“Loss Of MRNA, Bird Flu Vaccines Threatens Our Biosecurity”
By Judy Stone
“Elizabeth (Beth) Cameron, senior advisor to the Pandemic Center at Brown University, also expressed concerns about bird flu preparedness and expanded on the government’s and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations’ goal of the “100 day mission.” That goal is “to be able to make any countermeasure within 100 days of emergence of the pathogen and then be able to deliver it.” She added, “Losing access to this vaccine platform makes it harder for the United States to deliver on this goal for Americans.””
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“RFK Jr. May Have Just Ruined Our Best Weapon Against Bird Flu”
Jonathan Cohn
“Ratner, who is the author of the book Booster Shots, said he could not fathom why Kennedy would be cutting off development of a treatment that might offer the surest, quickest way to prevent a potentially catastrophic spread of bird flu—let alone slow progress on a treatment that holds out the promise of fighting a lot more than infectious disease.5
“This decision,” Ratner said, “represents an unforced error of potentially epic proportions.””
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curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai