Bird Flu Update: First Commercial Case In Georgia, Moderna Receives $590 Million To Develop Vaccine

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current bird flu outbreak has caused 67 human cases of bird flu in the U.S. and one death associated with the virus. The virus was confirmed on Friday at a commercial poultry production facility in Georgia, the nation’s top state for chicken production. 

What To Know: The CDC said that the current public health risk is low and the agency is watching the situation carefully and monitoring people with animal exposures. Bird flu is “widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers,” the CDC stated in its most recent update. 

On Friday, the Georgia Department of Agriculture announced it detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at a commercial poultry producer in the state. The case marks the first in Georgia, the nation’s top state for chicken production, since the 2022 countrywide outbreak. 

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“This is a serious threat to Georgia’s #1 industry and the livelihoods of thousands of Georgians who make their living in our state’s poultry industry,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a news release. 

According to an AP News report, the bird flu virus has been detected in 84 commercial and backyard flocks in the past month with 10.7 million birds affected. The virus has also been confirmed in dozens of dairy farms.

What Else: On Friday, Moderna Inc. MRNA announced it received an additional $590 million award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to accelerate the development of its mRNA-based influenza vaccines, including bird flu.

In 2023, Moderna commenced a Phase 1/2 study to generate safety and immunogenicity data for an investigational pandemic influenza vaccine (mRNA-1018) candidate against the H5 and H7 avian influenza viruses. Based on the preliminary data from the Phase 1/2 study, Moderna is preparing to advance mRNA-1018 into Phase 3. 

Other pharmaceutical companies, including Novavax Inc. NVAX, have bird flu vaccine candidates currently in clinical trials. 

CureVac BV CVAC started a phase I/II study on its bird flu vaccine candidate developed in collaboration with GSK plc GSK. 

Egg producer Cal-Maine Foods Inc. CALM reported its most recent quarterly revenue of $954.7 million, well above the  $751.49 million consensus estimate, due in part to restricted supply resulting from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks. Cal-Maine Foods stock gained more than 75% over the past six months. 

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