On Jan. 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would award $306 million dollars to continue its H5N1 Avian Flu response. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) assessment of the risk of avian influenza to the general public remains low, USDA and HHS continue to closely collaborate with Federal, State, local, industry and other stakeholders to protect human health, animal health, and food safety.

The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) will award approximately $183 million in additional funding for regional, state and local preparedness programs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award approximately $111 million in funding for additional enhancements to our ability to monitor H5N1 at the local, state and national levels. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will award approximately $11 million in funding for additional research into potential medical countermeasures for H5N1.