Scientists Test mRNA Vaccines to Protect Against Bird Flu

VOA

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Scientists are testing next-generation vaccines to deal with the spread of bird flu in the United States. The vaccines use the same mRNA technology that led to the development of COVID-19 shots in record time.

The U.S. Agriculture Department is planning to test a vaccine, developed by University of Pennsylvania researchers, by giving it to cows in order to protect farm workers. They say this could lessen the chance for the virus to jump into people and mutate, or change, in ways that could cause human-to-human spread.

Meanwhile, officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have been talking to drugmakers about possible mRNA flu vaccines for people. These mRNA vaccines would be in addition to the millions of bird flu vaccines already in government hands.

“If there’s a pandemic, there’s going to be a huge demand for vaccine,” said Richard Webby, a flu researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. The more vaccines, the better, he added.