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5 Million Doses of Vaccine Being Prepared Against Bird Flu

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Nearly five million doses of flu vaccine are being prepared for potential use in the United States as the continued spread of H5N1 avian flu among dairy cows has resulted in three cases of bird flu in humans, UPI reports.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) so far maintains the risk to public health is low.

The outbreak of H5N1 avian flu began in the spring and has been confirmed in three people working on dairy farms in Texas and Michigan, UPI reports. Health officials are concerned the virus could mutate and spread quickly among humans.

Vaccine maker CSL Seqirus said in a press statement last week that it has been asked to make additional doses of flu vaccine at its North Carolina plant, UPI reports. “[The NC plant] utilizes a highly scalable method of production and is currently positioned to deliver up to 150 million influenza vaccine doses to support an influenza pandemic response within six months of a pandemic declaration,” CSL Seqirus said.

“The CDC maintains the risk to public health as low. We are closely monitoring the situation because we are acutely aware of the threat that influenza virus strains like H5N1 can pose and take seriously our role in preparedness efforts alongside our government and public health partners,” Marc Lacey, global executive director for pandemic at CSL Seqirus, said in the press statement.

“This agreement… will help support the U.S. government’s ability to respond swiftly in the event that the current avian flu situation changes,” Lacey said.