When a pathogen — any organism that causes a disease — jumps species, scientists get nervous because its genetic makeup can reconfigure and become more transmissible or lethal.

The funding, which follows the $176 million the government awarded Moderna in June 2024, aims to get mRNA vaccines ready before bird flu strains currently circulating in the wild and on farms can potentially cause human outbreaks.

The government is working to head off human bird flu infections. The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the development of its bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans.

Georgia officials halted all in-state poultry sales, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $590 million to Moderna to develop vaccines to protect people from flu strains in bird

The US Department of Health and Human Services will award $590 million to Moderna to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu, the pharmaceutical company announced Friday.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award roughly $590 million to Moderna to accelerate the development of mRNA-based pandemic influenza vaccines, including vaccines for avian flu strains, to ensure the United States is better prepared for future potential pandemics, according to a recent HHS news release.

President Joe Biden's outgoing administration on Thursday announced $211 million in new funding to develop mRNA vaccines against emerging biothreats and said it was accelerating bird flu testing, as fears of another pandemic loom.

Moderna has been awarded approximately $590 million from the federal government to help speed up the development of an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine, health officials said.

HHS Allocates $590 Million to Speed Up the Development of mRNA Vaccines for Pandemic Influenza, Including an H5N1 (Bird Flu) Vaccine

The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the development of its bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans.

US health officials announced Friday they were awarding $590 million to Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines against influenza, including advancing the company's bird flu vaccine, as fears of a new pandemic grow.