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

Since Donald Trump took office in January, the United States Public Health Agency led the preparations for potential bird influenza. But with retreat, another government agency escalates.

While the US Department of Health and Humanitarian Services (HHS) has previously held regular surroundings of its efforts to prevent the broader outbreak of the deadly bird influenza virus called H5N1 in people, it stopped largely as soon as Trump took office. It also canceled the financing of a vaccine that would target the virus. On the other hand, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) escalated its battle against the spread of H5N1 in poultry herds and dairy herds, including financing the development of livestock vaccines.

This appointed virus – a breed of influenza called H5N1 – is a major threat to humans, after they were killed About half of about 1000 people Throughout the world who have experienced positively since 2003, while the nurse spreads quickly in birds, it is badly adapted to humans and does not know that it is transmitted among people. But this may change if it is so It acquires mutations It allows her to spread more easily among mammals – a risk that increases with every mammal infection.

The possibility of the development of H5N1 has grown to become more dangerous to people since March 2024, when the virus jumped from migratory birds to dairy cows in Texas. more than 1070 herds Via 17 states have been affected since then.

H5N1 also affects poultry, putting the virus near people. Since 2022, approximately 175 million local birds They were executed in the United States because of H5N1, and almost all 71 people Those who tested positively because he was in direct contact with livestock.

“We need to take this seriously because when [H5N1] “It is constantly spreading, it is constantly leaking to humans,” he says. Especially Lakdawal At Imori University in Georgia. The virus has already killed A person in the United States and A child in Mexico this year.

However, cases were decreased under Trump. The last human case was registered in February, and the number of affected poultry herds fell 95 per cent between then and June. The fascists also settled in dairy herds.

It is not clear what is behind the retreat. Lakdawala believes that it is partially due to quietly in bird migration, reducing the chances of the virus to spread from wild birds to livestock. It may also reflect the efforts of the US Department of Agriculture to contain farm spread. In February, the US Department of Agriculture revealed $ 1 billion a plan For H5N1 processing, including strengthening farmers’ defenses against the virus, such as free biological security assessments. Of the 150 establishments under the evaluation, only one witnessed the outbreak of H5N1.

During the Trump era, the US Department of Agriculture also continued the national milk test strategy, which provides for the provision of raw milk samples for influenza test. If the farm is positive for H5N1, it must allow the US Department of Agriculture to monitor livestock and implement measures to contain the virus. The US Department of Agriculture launched The program in December Since then, he has increased participation 45 countries.

“The national milk test strategy is a great system,” he says. Irene Soril At Johns Hopkins University, Maryland. Along with the efforts of the US Department of Agriculture to improve vital security measures on farms, milk test is very important to contain fascism, says Suril.

But while the US Department of Agriculture has strengthened its efforts against H5N1, HHS does not seem to follow its example. In fact, the last decrease in human cases may reflect Low monitoring Because of the workforce discounts, Surrell says. In April, HHS was delivered about 10,000 employeesIt includes 90 percent One of the employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an office that helps Investigation of H5N1 outbreak In farm workers.

“There is an old saying that if you do not test something, you cannot find it,” Surrell says. However, a spokesman for the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says its directives and Monitoring efforts It did not change. “Government and local health departments continue to monitor the disease in persons exposed to sick animals,” they told New world. “The Center for Disease Control is still committed to a quick connection to information as needed about H5N1.”

The US Department of Agriculture and HHS also diverges to vaccination. While the US Department of Agriculture allocated $ 100 million to the development of vaccines and other solutions to prevent the spread of H5N1 in livestock, HHS canceled $ 776 million of contracts to develop the influenza vaccine. The contracts – which were finished on May 28 – were with the Moderna Pharmaceutical Company to develop vaccines targeting the influenza sub -species, including H5N1, which may cause future epidemics. The news came on the same day that Moderna was almost informed 98 percent of about 300 participants Those who received two H5 vaccines in a clinical trial had levels of antibodies that are believed to protect against the virus.

The United States has about Five million H5N1 The stored vaccine doses, but are made using eggs and cultivated cells, which take longer to produce vaccines based on Merna, such as Moderna. Suril says that the Moderna vaccine would have updated inventory and enable the government to produce vaccines quickly if there is a pandemic. “It seems that it is a very effective platform and it was possible to put the United States and others equally if we need a vaccine for the general public,” she says.

HHS canceled the contracts due to concerns about the Merseuled RNA vaccines, which Robert F-Kennedy Junior has the highest public health official- I have already doubt on. “The truth is that a flexible technology is still not tested, and we will not spend taxpayers taxes to repeat the mistakes of the recent administration,” Andrew Nixon, HHS, Director of Communications in HHS. New world.

However, a flexible technique is not new. It was under development More than half a century Several clinical experiences showed that flexible vaccines are safe. While it carries the risk of side effects – most of them are moderate – this is true in almost every medical treatment. In a press release, Moderna said it would explore alternative financing paths for the program.

“My position is that we should not look forward to taking anything from the table, and this includes any kind of pollen,” says Lakdala.

“The vaccines are the most effective way to counter a contagious disease,” said Surreel. “Thus you have this in arsenal and ready to go, just give you more options.”