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USA Today

Before a bird flu pandemic, feds prep millions of vaccines. Just in case.

USA Today
Summary
Nutrition label

82% Informative

The H5N1 bird flu virus has been spreading this year among dairy and poultry farms across the United States .

The risk to the general public remains low, the federal government doesn’t think it’s worth vaccinating anyone.

But behind the scenes, officials are getting ready at Seqirus' advanced facility in the bio-manufacturing hub of Holly Springs .

Scientists hope the vaccine being poured into vials here would protect someone against a severe H5N1 infection, but they aren’t completely sure.

So far it has only been tested in ferrets, the animal typically used by labs to test flu vaccines.

The first human trials for the new vaccine are underway, starting with healthy people to ensure the vaccine triggers the desired effect on the immune system.

The seasonal flu vaccine doesn’t offer any protection against H5N1, which is a different strain of influenza.

Getting the seasonal vaccine could prevent someone from simultaneously having both the seasonal flu and H5 N1.

The worst-case scenario would be a virus that combines the two , CDC 's Shah said.

VR Score

83

Informative language

82

Neutral language

62

Article tone

semi-formal

Language

English

Language complexity

52

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

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