US officials prepare human bird flu vaccines as virus spreads to more states

So far, there's no sign that H5N1 is going from person to person, but one farm worker in Texas caught bird flu in April after mingling with sick cattle. The man had a mild dose and got conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, the officials reported.

The bird flu crisis has hit at least 36 dairy cow herds in nine US states, including Idaho, South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina, reports the Express US.

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With the bug spreading fast, there's worry it may evolve in ways that make it easier to jump to humans, pushing top health officials to brace for the chance of H5N1 leaping from animals to people - or even worse, from one person to another.

Demetre Daskalakis, the head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on Wednesday: "[Studies] suggest that the vaccines will offer good cross-protection against cattle outbreak viruses."

The pair of jabs are already in the US' emergency stash, but only in small numbers, the officials noted.

Dawn O'Connell, representative from the Department of Health and Human Services, has detailed plans for dealing with a potential bird flu outbreak in a conversation with NBC News. She reveals that hundreds of thousands of prefilled syringes and vaccine vials stand at the ready.

O'Connell outlined the current preventive measures, stating: "We've been investing in a library of antigens to move out as quickly as possible should we begin to see a highly transmissible flu strain circulate."

According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), the mortality rate would sit at an alarming 50 percent if virus transmission occurs between humans.

No evidence yet suggests the bird flu mutating into a form capable of human-to-human transmission, but over 100 individuals, primarily those working with farmed animals, are under surveillance for potential signs of infection.

The approach to vaccination will depend heavily on virus progression and the scale of any potential outbreak, officials have noted. Providing an idea of capacity, O'Connell mentioned that "over 100 million doses of the vaccines could be shipped out within three to four months if needed".

In intriguing news, she also confirmed the US is pursuing the creation of a third bird flu vaccine employing the same mRNA technology used in Pfizer and Moderna's Covid vaccines. Ultimately, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would need to approve all three vaccines before distribution can commence.

The FDA has committed to staying "actively engaged" in preparations by assessing potential vaccines, ready to enter the breach as the situation necessitates.

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