He did it even before the inauguration of the newly elected President Donald Trump.
Acting US President Joe Biden on Friday announced an allocation of 306 million dollars (297 million euros) to strengthen the country’s response to bird flu, TASR writes, according to an AFP report.
The funds will support national, state, and local preparedness programs, monitoring, and research into potential medical countermeasures against the H5N1 virus. The Biden administration has faced criticism for its handling of the disease.
“While the risk of human infection remains low, we are always preparing for all scenarios that could arise…Preparedness is key to keeping Americans healthy and our country safe,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
The United States has recorded 66 human cases of bird flu since the start of 2024, but experts believe the true number may be higher. Although human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been detected, the number of cases of bird flu has alarmed scientists because of the threat of it mutating with seasonal flu and causing a deadly pandemic.
Trump recently told Time magazine that he would abolish the US Office of Pandemics, which was established by President Biden. Trump’s incoming health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, is a big vaccine skeptic and has promised changes to the nation’s health agencies. It also promotes raw milk, which is likely to transmit bird flu to humans.
Some American scientists see the disease as a great threat and fear another global pandemic. Health authorities are also closely monitoring the increasing number of cases of infection in cats with which humans come into close contact.
