WHO launches effort to develop mRNA vaccine against bird flu

Key takeaways:

• The effort will speed development of an mRNA vaccine amid an outbreak of bird flu.
• There have been nearly 900 human cases of bird flu, and 463 people have died globally since 1996.

WHO this week announced a project to speed development of a messenger RNA vaccine against highly pathogenic avian influenza in humans.

“This initiative exemplifies why WHO established the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme (TTP) — to foster greater research, development and production in low- and middle-income countries, so that when the next pandemic arrives, the world will be better prepared to mount a more effective and more equitable response,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, said in a press release.

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WHO announced a project to speed development of a vaccine for human H5N1 avian influenza. Image: Adobe Stock

According to WHO, there have been 896 human cases and 463 deaths globally from avian influenza A(H5N1) since 2003. Variants of the H5 clade of bird flu have since 2020 killed wild birds and poultry in Africa, Asia and Europe. The virus spread to North America in 2021 and to Central and South America in 2022.

In the United States, the CDC has reported 13 human cases since the start of 2024 linked to outbreaks at dairy and poultry farms. Overall, more than 100 million wild birds, poultry and backyard flocks in all 50 states have been affected, according to the CDC. More than 170 dairy herds in 13 states have also tested positive.

Among the human cases, four followed exposure to dairy cows and nine followed exposure to poultry, with all of the exposures to poultry occurring in Colorado in the last several weeks. The state has tested 134 farm workers and is updating the public twice a week on new tests and confirmed cases.

WHO’s mRNA TTP was developed with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) in July 2021 to develop candidate H5N1 vaccines and preclinical models to speed trials, manufacturing and distribution in the event of an avian influenza pandemic.

“When we created the mRNA TTP with WHO, our goal was to enable low- and middle-income countries to lead development efforts, foster collaboration, share resources and disseminate knowledge,” Charles Gore, executive director of the MPP, said in the release. “This project embodies our vision and demonstrates a strong commitment to future pandemic preparedness and response.”

Although the CDC continues to rate the threat of bird flu to humans to be relatively low, HHS in July gave Moderna $176 million to develop a mRNA pandemic flu vaccine, and officials have debated the usefulness of vaccinating birds and cows against the virus.

WHO said it is mobilizing development of a bird flu vaccine because “avian influenza viruses are a significant public health risk due to their widespread circulation in animals and potential to cause a future pandemic.” Speeding development of a vaccine, the agency said, is necessary for “bolstering pandemic preparedness efforts.”

References:

CDC. H5 bird flu: Current situation. https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html. Updated July 31, 2024. Accessed Aug. 1, 2024.
CDC. H5N1 bird flu detections across the United States in backyard and commercial poultry. https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/data-map-commercial.html. Updated July 26, 2024. Accessed Aug. 1, 2024.
Colorado department of public health & environment: Avian flu in humans. Updated July 30, 2024. Accessed Aug. 1, 2024.
New initiative launched to advance mRNA vaccine development against human avian influenza (H5N1). https://www.who.int/news/item/29-07-2024-new-initiative-launched-to-advance-mrna-vaccine-development-against-human-avian-influenza-(h5n1). Published July 29, 2024. Accessed Aug. 1, 2024.
USDA. HPAI confirmed cases in livestock. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock. Updated August 1, 2024. Accessed Aug. 8, 2024.
WHO. Avian influenza A(H5N1) virus. https://www.who.int/teams/global-influenza-programme/avian-influenza/avian-a-h5n1-virus. Accessed Aug. 2, 2024.

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