A prophylactic antibody-based immune therapy protects monkeys against severe disease caused by H5N1 avian flu, University of Pittsburgh and NIH Vaccine Research Center researchers report today in Science.

There is a bird flu vaccine, and a federal stockpile holds several million doses, per The New York Times. However, Kennedy, who has been an outspoken vaccine critic, previously said on X that the bird flu vaccines “appear to be dangerous.” Basically, if a bird flu vaccine is needed, there are concerns that people will actually have access to it.

The United States has confirmed its first case of highly pathogenic H5N9 avian influenza in poultry, following an outbreak at a duck meat farm in Merced County, California, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) stated Monday.

The United States has reported its first outbreak of H5N9 bird flu in poultry on a duck farm in California, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 67 people in the U.S. have been infected with H5N1 bird flu. One person has died.

Both H5N9 and H5N1 were detected at the duck farm in Merced County, according to tests conducted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory. The event began on November 23, with clinical signs that included increased deaths in the ducks.

Sec. Mike Naig says the U.S. government is using what he describes as a three-legged stool approach to address the virus in the dairy and poultry industries.

Additionally, U.S. authorities identified the more common H5N1 strain on the same farm in Merced County, California. In a report to the Paris-based WOAH, officials noted that nearly 119,000 birds ...

In today’s Health Alert, a new strain of bird flu - H5N9 - has been detected in the U.S. The first confirmed case was found at a commercial duck farm in California.

A newly identified strain of bird flu, H5N9, discovered at a California duck farm, has prompted concerns about the possibility of a larger outbreak, The Washington Post reported Jan. 29. Health experts are monitoring the situation, particularly the potential for genetic mutations that could make the virus more easily transmissible among humans.

"This type of prevention can be very useful in controlling infection outbreaks and containing the bird flu pandemic," said an immunologist.