The government is working to head off human bird flu infections. The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the development of its bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans.

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.

Cases of norovirus infections are surging, but coming up with a way to prevent them has proven to be a challenge.

Moderna has been awarded approximately $590 million from the federal government to help speed up the development of an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine, alongside other influenza vaccines, health officials announced Friday.

The public health risk remains low, but bird flu variants have proven to be unpredictable, which is why the virus is a top priority for the federal government.

Moderna MRNA announced that the U.S. government, through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (“BARDA”), has awarded the company $590 million to accelerate the development of an mRNA-based vaccine program aimed at preventing the spread of the H5N1 virus,