US will buy flu shots for farmworkers in a bid to prevent bird flu from getting worse

AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. will pay for flu shots for farmworkers to try to prevent bird flu from getting worse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday announced it will spend $5 million to buy seasonal flu shots for livestock workers. Another $5 million will go towards promoting the shots. Dairy and poultry farms have been dealing with bird flu outbreak, and 13 workers have picked up mild infections. Health officials are worried about what might happen if people are infected with bird flu and seasonal flu at the same time. If that happens, it could change the bird flu into something more dangerous.