United States: On Friday the United States department of Health and Human Services HHS revealed its intention of releasing $306 million for enhancing bird flu surveillance and preparedness. This is yet another strategy that is issued as the virus impacts on dairy farms and their workers across the country, as reported by Reuters.
First Human Case Defined as Severe
In December of the same year, America recorded the first serious human incident involving bird flu. Stating from Reuters, a Louisiana resident required hospitalization and was in a critical condition after coming into contact with infected birds from his backyard poultry.
CDC Tracks Human Cases
US announces $306 million in new bird flu funding https://t.co/bD2F9a9ko3
— orville l. baker (@blckneck6205) January 5, 2025
From April to the present, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 61 human cases of bird flu with most of the victims being dairy farm workers who got in contact with infected cattle. Nevertheless, the CDC feels that bird flu is not a direct threat to the population and this is illustrated by the following cases.
Strategic Allocation of Funds
$183 Million: Directed to regional, state, and local hospital preparedness programs and pathogen treatment centers by the U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
$111 Million: Allocated by the CDC for enhanced disease monitoring and development of advanced influenza diagnostic test kits.
$11 Million: Provided by the National Institutes of Health for research into potential drug treatments for bird flu.
Safeguarding Public and Animal Health
The US is spending $306 million to combat the spread of the bird flu https://t.co/xZihjmSGwh 來自 @qz
— Vivi Huang (@Daring35991901) January 6, 2025
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stressed on the need to be ready and said, “Although the threat to people remains negligible, we are never caught off guard for any situation that may occur.” HHS is partnered with the USDA, and state and local government agencies as well as industry to safeguard human health along with animal well-being, and the safety of the U.S. food supply, as reported by Reuters.