HHS Awards Over $300 Million to Continue Avian Flu Response

The HHS has announced that it will award a further $306 million to “continue its H5N1 Avian Flu response.”

CDC’s assessment of the risk to the general public remains low. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that these investments are “critical to continuing our disease surveillance, laboratory testing, and monitoring efforts alongside our partners at USDA.”

ASPR will award “approximately $183 million in additional funding for regional, state and local preparedness programs,” including the Hospital Preparedness Program and the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center.

CDC will also award “approximately $111 million in funding for additional enhancements to our ability to monitor H5N1 at the local, state and national levels.” $103 million will go to jurisdictions for “increased monitoring of individuals exposed to infected animals, testing, and outreach to high-risk populations (such as livestock workers),” and $8 million will go to “manufacture, store, and distribute additional influenza diagnostic test kits for virologic surveillance.” NIH will also award approximately $11 million “in funding for additional research into potential medical countermeasures for H5N1.”