US pays Moderna $176m to develop bird-flu vaccine

This strain has been around for years in birds – but some other animals, including cattle, have become infected in recent outbreaks.

Some believe the virus might one day change and start spreading easily among humans, with potentially serious consequences.

So far, there is no sign of this.

There have been some rare cases of people catching it after coming into contact with sick animals.

In people, the virus can cause symptoms ranging from mild illness, such as upper-respiratory and eye infections, to potentially fatal disease such as pneumonia, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

Moderna began early tests of its mRNA bird-flu vaccine in 2023, with healthy adult volunteers.

The results, expected later this year, will inform the next steps, it says.