Vaccine Companies Say They ‘Stand Ready’ for Potential H5N1 Bird Flu Outbreak in Humans

Rescued chickens gather in an aviary at Farm Sanctuary’s Southern California Sanctuary in Acton, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2022. A wave of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu has now entered Southern California as the fall bird migration sets in, raising concerns for wild birds and poultry farms in the region. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Some of the largest vaccine companies in the developed world are reportedly preparing avian flu H5N1 shots for humans in case the virus were to mutate and become easily transmissible from person to person.

Vaccine makers GSK, Moderna, and CSL Seqirus told Reuters that they have begun developing or are about to test new human shots to target the currently circulating version of the virus. Others, such as Sanofi, said they have vaccines for the H5N1 virus in stock and “stand ready” to produce up-to-date shots based on existing ones.