The funding flows through BARDA, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, as part of a new Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle Consortium. The program is intended to set up partnerships with industry to help the country better prepare for pandemic threats and develop medical countermeasures, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a press announcement Tuesday.
Furthermore, of the 140 herds with documented infections, federal officials do not know how many are still actively infected rather than recovered. It is unclear whether infected cows can become reinfected, and if so, how quickly after an infection. While the risk to the general public is considered to be low currently, farm workers are at higher risk of contracting the infection.