TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding the pharmaceutical company Moderna $590 million to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu.

The government wants Moderna to push forward with various bird flu vaccines as well as mRNA shots for other influenza strains with pandemic potential.

Houston Park and John Knox, trained firefighters, are also in line for roles helping oversee the nation’s emergency preparedness and response.

The support is designed to speed development of well-matched H5N1 vaccines and pave the way for vaccines against other potential pandemic threats.

HHS determined that a five-year period of debarment for the Manhattan-based nonprofit and Daszak was “necessary to protect the Federal Government’s business interests,” according to a letter sent

A lot of doctors often need to take jobs in larger hospitals in bigger cities to be able to pay their student loans back.

President-elect Donald Trump's transition team reportedly tapped a former senior health official from the president-elect's first term and a friend to top Trump loyalists to be Robert F. Kennedy Jr's chief of staff.

Secretary Xavier Becerra spoke to The Washington Post about falling trust in his department since the coronavirus pandemic.

HHS formally debarred EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and its former president Dr. Peter Daszak for allegedly failing to report dangerous gain-of-function research in China.

The funding, which follows the $176 million the government awarded Moderna in June 2024, aims to get mRNA vaccines ready before bird flu strains currently circulating in the wild and on farms can potentially cause human outbreaks.

The US Department of Health and Human Services will award $590 million to Moderna to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu, the pharmaceutical company announced Friday.

AI is safe and trustworthy when deployed in healthcare. The plan emphasizes technical assistance for under-resourced organizations and workforce training initiatives.