May 2025
May 30
MSNBC - RFK Jr. Has named himself the official arbiter of science - HHS has been following Kennedy's lead on vaccines, from limiting who can get Covid boosters to withdrawing funding for a potential H5N1 bird flu vaccine. Just two weeks ago, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Congress that his “opinions about vaccines are irrelevant” and that nobody should “take advice” from him about getting them. How quickly things change. In one decision after another, the Trump administration’s recent actions have shown that Kennedy, with his poor understanding of basic medicine, has deemed himself the final arbiter of vaccine science in the U.S.
Kennedy, with his poor understanding of basic medicine, has deemed himself the final arbiter of vaccine science in the U.S.
On Wednesday, Moderna announced that HHS canceled a $766 million contract with the company to develop potential pandemic influenza strains, including H5N1 bird flu. In the same statement, Moderna also announced that the new vaccine it had been developing against H5 influenza strains, mRNA-1018, had positive results after being tested in 300 adults.
Infectious Disease Advisor - US Ends $600M Moderna Bird Flu Vaccine Contract - The deal, forged under the Biden administration, aimed to prepare for future flu pandemics by funding Moderna’s work on a fast-acting vaccine using mRNA technology
Detroit Free Press - Michigan farmers call for H5N1 bird flu vaccines to protect flocks, dairy cows from virus - The bird flu virus remains a wild card that continues to threaten U.S. poultry and egg supplies while upping the ante with risk to human health.
May 29
The New York Times - U.S. Cancels Contract With Moderna to Develop Bird Flu Vaccine - The government has three other avian flu contracts, according to the health department. Many scientists regard mRNA vaccines, which can be quickly ...
Reuters - US cancels more than $700 million funding for Moderna bird flu vaccine The Trump administration has canceled a contract awarded to Moderna for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine for humans, ...
NPR -Trump administration cancels plans to develop a bird flu vaccine - NPR "Bird Flu is a well known threat and the virus has continued to evolve. If the virus develops the ability to spread from person to person, we could ...
NBC News -Trump administration cancels $766 million Moderna contract to fight future pandemics ... The cancelation came as Moderna announced positive interim results from an early-stage trial of the vaccine that targeted H5 bird flu virus,
CNA -US cancels US$590 million contract with Moderna for bird flu shot - CNA The contract, announced on Jan 17 - three days before Trump took office - was for
CBS News - Trump administration yanks Moderna's bird flu vaccine research funding even as company ... ... has canceled $766 million awarded to Moderna to develop a vaccine against potential pandemic influenza viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu.
BioSpace -Moderna Loses $760M+ Government Bird Flu Contract as Vaccine Uncertainties Mount The Department of Health and Human Services has terminated a contract previously awarded to Moderna for the development of a bird flu vaccine, the ...
BioPharma Dive -HHS terminates Moderna contract to develop bird flu vaccine | BioPharma Dive The funding was meant to help the U.S. prepare for pandemics triggered by avian flu strains, but now leaves the future of Moderna's program ...
Axios -HHS cancels Moderna's $590M bird flu vaccine award - Axios The Trump administration canceled a nearly $600 million award to Moderna to develop an mRNA vaccine for bird flu in humans, the company announced ...
Vanity Fair - RFK Jr. Thinks What We Need Right Now Is More Bird Flu **-**The Department of Health and Human Services has pulled funding to help develop a bird flu vaccine, because of course it has.
May 28
Moderna - Moderna Announces Update on Investigational Pandemic Influenza Program - Phase 1/2 H5 avian flu vaccine study shows positive interim results. Company has been notified that HHS will terminate Moderna's award for late-stage development of pre-pandemic influenza vaccines
New York Times - Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. Kennedy and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them. - Ostriches on a British Columbia farm have died of the avian flu. Canada ordered hundreds of others to be culled. But two top Trump administration officials have objected. Canada ordered the birds to be culled after the avian virus spread through Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, British Columbia, a town in the province’s interior, north of Washington State. The plight of the wobble — a term sometimes used to describe a group of ostriches — has divided Canadians, but the birds have won allies across the border, namely top officials in the Trump administration. But most veterinarians agree that keeping birds alive that may still have active infections and could spread the virus to others is a threat to public health.
May 27
Reuters - Brazil not testing cows for bird flu despite dairy cases in US -Brazil has not yet tested cows for bird flu, despite hundreds of cases in the dairy herd in the U.S., because it is focusing on poultry outbreaks.
Reuters - Brazil confident it can seal regional trade deals with EU, US despite bird flu -Brazil is negotiating with the European Union and the United States to limit bird flu-related trade restrictions to affected regions.
CBC - Dr. Oz, billionaire John Catsimatidis offer to take B.C. ostriches ordered killed due to avian flu - Farm says while it appreciates support, it will not seek to relocate birds
BBC -Northern Ireland bird flu restrictions to be lifted this weekend
New York Post - Delta flight thrown into chaos as stowaway pigeons storm cabin
May 26
May 24
Morristown Daily Record - NJ confirms bird flu at Essex poultry market. Here's how to help keep it from spreading
May 23
euronews - Bird flu cases spreading faster and with greater impacts - report
Reuters - Animal health body says vaccines needed to protect humans and trade - Vaccinating animals more widely could help stop the spread of deadly diseases, protect public health and keep global trade flowing, the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health said as bird flu disrupts Brazilian poultry exports. Brazil, the world's top poultry exporter, confirmed its first-ever outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, in domestic birds last week, prompting export bans from several countries.
World Organization for Animal Health - First report on world’s animal health reveals changing spread of disease impacting food security, trade and ecosystems - Animal diseases are migrating into previously unaffected areas, half (47%) of which have zoonotic – or animal-to-human – potential. Outbreaks of bird flu in mammals more than doubled last year compared to 2023, increasing the risk of further spread and human transmission. Access to livestock vaccines remains uneven around the world, with disease eradication efforts facing funding and political challenges. Antibiotic use in animals fell by 5% between 2020 and 2022 and expanding livestock vaccination globally would reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.
Channel News Asia - Bird flu outbreaks in mammals double, raising human risk: Report - The number of mammal outbreaks soared to 1,022 across 55 countries last year, compared to 459 in 2023, according to the Paris-based agency, which monitors animal diseases worldwide. "It is concerning because it is a change in the pattern of the epidemiology of the virus," WOAH's director general Emmanuelle Soubeyran told AFP. Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has shown signs of mutating as it spreads in particular among dairy cows in the United States.
The Poultry Site - Brazil lifts national ban as bird flu triggers targeted trade cuts
Des Moines Register - World animal health group advocates for more vaccination as bird flu hits Brazil
US News & World Report - Brazil State Says It Rules Out Bird Flu in Commercial Flock
The Minnesota Star Tribune - New virus is wiping out Minnesota turkey flocks, costing farmers $112M so far - More than 2.2 million turkeys were lost to avian metapneumovirus last year, adding to bird flu fatalities.
WRIC ABC8 News - About 200 bird flu cases confirmed in Virginia
CBC - Testing confirms avian flu after hundreds of dead geese found near Lipton, Saskachewan - 3 Sask. farms quarantined because of the virus
State of New Jersey - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Essex County Live Bird Market
Medical Xpress - Bird flu outbreaks in mammals double, raising human risk: Report
May 22
northcentralpa.com - Other states learn from PA's 'bird flu-free' status
May 21
BBC - Bird flu found in dead nesting peregrine falcon
UNMC - As Bird Flu Spreads, Vaccine Shows Promise for Protecting Cattle
MSN - FDA Has Paused ‘Milk Testing’ for Bird Flu — Now, Experts Think We Are ‘Running Out of Time'
May 20
The Daily Progress - Virginia reports first mammal with Bird Flu
CNN - The US hasn’t seen a human bird flu case in 3 months. Experts are wondering why
SciTechDaily - Bird Flu Is Now Killing Cats at a 90% Fatality Rate – Experts Warn It Could Jump to Humans
Reuters - Genetic test suggests Brazil's bird flu cases in farm and zoo share same strain
Reuters - Suspected bird flu case in Brazil farm worker came back negative, authorities say
Fox 10 - Bird flu detected at Maricopa County commercial farm: AZDA
AZ Central - Bird flu found in Maricopa County, but no eggs got into the food supply, AZ officials say
SciTechDaily - Bird Flu Is Now Killing Cats at a 90% Fatality Rate – Experts Warn It Could Jump to Humans
Nature.com - Bird-flu vaccine for cattle aces early test
CIDRAP - Wisconsin to begin milk sampling for H5N1 avian flu
BBC - Bird flu protection zone in place for parts of Dorset
WHBL - Brazil chicken exporters brace for cargo rejections amid bird flu outbreak
Wisconsin State Farmer - Wisconsin milk haulers will soon begin pulling samples from bulk tanks to test for bird flu
May 19
Reuters - Brazil can no longer export poultry and meat to EU due to bird flu
CBS HealthWatch - Bird flu in humans hasn't officially been seen in U.S. in 3 months: "We just don't know why" - Health officials are making a renewed call for vigilance against bird flu, but some experts are puzzling over why reports of new human cases have stopped appearing.
Has the search for cases been weakened by government cuts? Are immigrant farm workers, who have accounted for many of the U.S. cases, more afraid to come forward for testing amid the Trump administration's deportation push? Is it just a natural ebb in infections?
"We just don't know why there haven't been cases," said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University. "I think we should assume there are infections that are occurring in farmworkers that just aren't being detected."
The H5N1 bird flu has been spreading widely among wild birds, poultry and other animals around the world for several years, and starting early last year became a problem in people and cows in the U.S. In the last 14 months, infections have been reported in 70 people in the U.S. — most of them workers on dairy and poultry farms, and mostly with mild symptoms. One person died in Louisiana.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the virus still poses a low risk to the general public, an infectious disease expert noted that every new infection increases the odds that bird flu could mutate and lead to more severe disease.
AP - The US hasn’t seen a human bird flu case in 3 months. Experts are wondering why
Reuters - Brazil can no longer export poultry and meat to EU due to bird flu
May 17
ABC.net - ‘Pandemic potential’ on our doorstep
New York Post - Brazil confirms country’s first bird flu outbreak on commercial poultry farm
Washington Post - Mexico, Chile and Uruguay halt poultry imports from Brazil after bird flu outbreak
May 16
Reuters - Brazil's first bird flu case on commercial firm triggers Chinese ban
Reuters - Explainer: What is bird flu, and why is Brazil's first case on a commercial farm concerning?
May 15
ABC.net - The deadly H5N1 bird flu is only a few steps away from 'pandemic potential'
Yukon - No detection of bird flu among Yukon wildlife in 2025 so far
Addison Independent - Vermont milk tests free of bird flu
NorthJersey.com - Bird flu case discovered at live bird market in Essex County
May 14
Nevada Glove - Nevada’s Strategic Response to Bird Flu Stabilizes Egg Market
USA Today - As bird flu, other diseases threaten, Trump administration thins USDA vet ranks
BAS - Why we should seriously consider vaccinating wild birds to control bird flu
Fox Business - Egg prices decline for first time in months amid avian flu outbreak
Global Center for Health - Discover What’s Next in Bird Flu: Must-Know Lessons from Last Year
San Francisco Chronicle - The worst of avian flu outbreak may be over in California, health officials say
May 13
CIDRAP - China reports more H9N2 and H10N3 avian flu cases
May 12
Science Alert - Spikes of Bird Flu in Cats Could Be a Warning of a Future Pandemic
Nebraska School - Nebraska-developed vaccine protects against swine, human and bird flu
MSN - Scientists Explain: 6 Ways Bird Flu Spreads from Wild Birds to Pet Food Supply Chains
May 9
UPR.org - Bird flu spreads to cattle, concerning animal health inspectors
Vermont Public - USDA says Vermont's milk supply is free of bird flu
Today.com - Avian Influenza in Cats Is Not Getting the Attention it Deserves, UMD Researchers Warn
May 8
AGRINEWS - Extension Notebook: Bird flu still a problem
Metro.co - US warned to prepare as bird flu ‘absolutely could be the next pandemic’
May 7
University of Maryland - Bird flu study points to risk of another pandemic
UNMC - H5N1 Bird Flu Cases Have Slowed in Animals and People
Wisconsin AG - USDA Considers Bird Flu Vaccine Strategy
KAXE - MN Legislature debates response to bird flu epidemic
AMA - 2025 measles outbreak, bird flu updates, Alzheimer's disease news, plus colon cancer and gut health
UNMC - USDA Invests in Poultry Vaccine for Bird Flu
China Daily - Philippines reports 1st case of highly pathogenic avian flu strain
May 6
HM Media - Experts warn of pandemic potential of H5N1 avian flu virus
UNMC - Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the US. Here’s what you need to know
AHCJ - Covering the ongoing bird flu story as it unfolds
NorthJersey.com - What is H5N1? Warning of new virus spreading across the US raises fears of new pandemic
NPR - Bird flu is spreading to dairy farms in the Mountain West, but it isn't a concern for the public yet
MED Page Today - H5N1 Bird Flu Cases Have Slowed in Animals and People — However, CDC researchers recommend continued surveillance
NPS - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) research in Acadia
Sentient Media - Underage Workers, Millions of Dollars and Trucks Full of Dead Chickens — Inside the Business of Killing in Response to Bird Flu
AOL.com - It's spring migration season. Here's what that means for bird flu
May 5
ABC News - Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the US. Here's what you need to know
Shreveport Times - After recent death in Louisiana, are there concerns that bird flu could turn into a pandemic?
CIDRAP - CDC review of two more US H5N1 viruses similar to earlier assessments
Food & Wine - The Government Quietly Stopped Bird Flu Testing. Experts Say That’s a Huge Mistake
May 4
The Hill - How to test for and control bird flu before it’s too late
Drug Topics - Public Health Experts Claim More Needs to Be Done to Stop the Spread of Bird Flu
Iowa Capital Dispatch - Inside the business of killing millions of chickens in response to bird flu - Rapid ‘depopulation’ raises concerns about worker safety and humane practices
USA Today - How do you get the bird flu? What medical experts want you to know right now
Post Gazette - Antibody therapy explored by Pitt, other researchers to combat bird flu - Study finds inoculation lessened symptoms, prevented death in monkeys
May 3
Sci Tech Daily - Global Experts Sound Alarm: Bird Flu Poses Rising Risk to Humans
USA Today - What is H5N1? Experts warn of virus spreading across all 50 states, with fears of pandemic
KHQ - Washington state dairy farms reach top safety status in bird flu testing
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist - Will America be “flying blind” on bird flu? A key wastewater-tracking program may soon end
Poultry Med - Limited susceptibility and transmission of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b HPAI virus in pigeons
May 2
CBS News - Ducklings hatch from Long Island farm almost wiped out by bird flu outbreak
WKBN - Bird flu had biggest impact in Ohio, USDA says
Democrat and Chronicle - Could H5N1 trigger the next pandemic? Experts sound the alarm on its spread
Quality Assurance - Americans Don’t Think Bird Flu Is a Threat, New Study Suggests
BBC - Birds will be free to roam again as indoor-only measure to be lifted
May 1
New York Times - Upheaval in Washington Hinders Campaign Against Bird Flu - Determined to cut costs and manage communications, the Trump administration is moving too slowly to contain the virus, experts say.
PIX 11 - Bird flu public health risk is low, despite being widespread across US: CDC
USA Today - Top doctors warn about bird flu virus spread and pandemic concerns - As worries grow about the potential for a bird flu pandemic, leading virologists warn there's a rising threat from H5N1 and recommend steps to lower the risk.
Business Standard - Bird flu in humans, pets and cattle: Why virologists fear an H5N1 pandemic
