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Three more cases of bird flu confirmed in Pennsylvania – Farm and Dairy

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Three more cases of bird flu confirmed in Pennsylvania – Farm and Dairy


In a single week, Pennsylvania went from no circumstances of extremely pathogenic avian influenza to having the second highest variety of birds affected within the nation. 

Three extra services in Pennsylvania have been hit with hen flu. All of the farms are in Lancaster County throughout the 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) management zone positioned across the first contaminated farm. Greater than 3.5 million birds have now died or been culled to regulate the unfold of the illness.

The primary case was confirmed by the U.S. Division of Agriculture on April 16 at a facility with 1.4 million industrial layer chickens. It’s believed the case got here from a wild hen, mentioned Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, throughout an April 22 media name.

The state division of agriculture put a ten kilometer management zone across the contaminated farm, which requires services have an authorised biosecurity plan and elevated testing for hen flu earlier than any poultry or poultry merchandise will be moved out of the world.

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Two extra circumstances have been reported April 20 inside that management zone, at farms with 1.1 million and 879,400 industrial layers. A fourth case was confirmed April 22 in a industrial broiler flock of fifty,300. It’s not identified how these circumstances have been unfold. 

“We’re inspired within the first week,” Redding mentioned. “The management zone was vital.”

HPAI has been detected in 235 industrial and yard poultry flocks in 29 states for the reason that first case was confirmed in February. Greater than 31 million birds have died or been culled nationwide. 

Response

There are 103 industrial poultry farms throughout the quarantine zone. Lancaster County is house to 16% of the poultry operations in Pennsylvania, with 1,677 farms.

Lancaster County was additionally floor zero for the 1983-84 hen flu outbreak in Pennsylvania, which unfold all through the south central  a part of the state. Greater than 17 million birds have been misplaced because of that outbreak, from flu fatalities and preventative culling.

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That outbreak formed the way in which Pennsylvania prepares for and responds to animal illness outbreaks, Redding mentioned. 

“The adjustments over the past 38 years have all been taking part in out right here in several methods,” Redding mentioned.

There’s now an interagency HPAI job drive, elevated testing capabilities and biosecurity packages for farms. Final yr, Pennsylvania’s three animal well being laboratories analyzed almost 200,000 samples for hen flu. 

The division of agriculture put a brief ban on the exhibition of poultry and eggs and county and native festivals in Pennsylvania for 60 till June 15, though Redding mentioned they’ll be reviewing that call, presumably to increase the ban by way of the complete truthful season. 

Pennsylvania averted any constructive circumstances through the 2015 hen flu outbreak that affected 50 million birds in 15 states.

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No public well being issues

Avian influenza viruses happen naturally and are ever-present in wild birds that unfold the virus of their droppings and wherever they land. These hen flus are extremely contagious and sometimes deadly to home birds. 

The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention mentioned hen flu outbreaks don’t current a right away public well being concern. No human circumstances of hen flu have been detected within the U.S. 

The Pennsylvania Division of Agriculture mentioned in a press launch that the probabilities of contaminated poultry coming into the meals chain are extraordinarily low “because of the excessive frequency of testing services.” Moreover, poultry merchandise for public consumption are inspected for indicators of illness at a number of factors from farm to retailer. Poultry and eggs which can be saved and cooked at correct temperatures are fit for human consumption.

Business poultry farms and other people with yard chickens must be on excessive alert and take steps to guard their poultry, the division mentioned. Don’t go to poultry barns until completely needed; completely clear autos and footwear after visiting poultry barns; and hold birds indoors to guard them from contamination by wild birds. 

Biosecurity plan templates for yard flocks will be discovered on-line at www.agriculture.pa.gov.

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Find out how to report issues

 Should you suspect your poultry is contaminated with avian influenza, report your issues to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Animal Well being and Diagnostic Companies at 717-772-2852, choice 1.

Sick or lifeless wild birds must be reported to the Pennsylvania Recreation Fee at 610-926- 3136 or pgc-wildlifehealth@pa.gov.

(Reporter Rachel Wagoner will be contacted at 800-837-3419 or rachel@farmanddairy.com.)

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Pennsylvania

Prominent Trump fundraiser enters Pa. GOP chairman race amid pushback to Sen. Rothman

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Prominent Trump fundraiser enters Pa. GOP chairman race amid pushback to Sen. Rothman


Electors take a group photo after the end of proceedings. Pennsylvania’s electors cast their votes for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance in the chambers of the state House of Representatives at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa.
December 17, 2024.
Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com



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Penn expecting $467M windfall from COVID-19 vaccine royalty dispute

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Penn expecting 7M windfall from COVID-19 vaccine royalty dispute


Penn Medicine researchers Katalin Karikó Ph.D., and Dr. Drew Weisman Ph.D., won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work on mRNA technology that contributed to the COVID-19 vaccine research.

Patents typically last about 20 years. The university holds at least four patents for its mRNA technology across the United States and Europe.

Researcher Karikó, an adjunct professor at Penn Medicine for 36 years, worked as a senior vice president for BioNTech between November 2013 and October 2022, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is considered an external consultant for the company as of Jan. 2, according to its website.

The COVID-19 vaccine, also known as Comirnaty, generated about $5 billion in sales in 2024.

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As part of the deal, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is expected to chip in $170 million for the Penn royalties and $364 million towards the NIH royalties owed.

As a company, BioNTech generated about $3.9 billion in revenue during 2023, down from $17.7 billion in 2022. BioNTech estimated 2024 revenue to be between $2.7 billion and $3.3 billion.

The university licensed its mRNA patents to several companies between April 2010 and August 2020, including Epicentre Technologies Corp., mRNA Biotherapeutics Inc. and Cellscript.

In 2017, BioNTech sublicensed the university mRNA technology from Cellscript and expects to keep developing more pharmaceutical medications, such as cancer treatments and flu vaccines, using the university patented technology.

Licensing revenue at the University of Pennsylvania has been a substantial revenue stream for the Philadelphia institution since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

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In fiscal 2021, the university collected $300 million in license revenue. In fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the university garnered $1 billion each year. During fiscal year 2024, it reported $466 million in licensing revenue.

In May 2024, Penn Medicine researchers developed an mRNA vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu, leveraging prior COVID-19 vaccine research. The research was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Duke University Human Vaccine Institute was awarded $7 million from the federal health agencies to conduct clinical trials in early 2025.

But for the commercialization of such research, the university relies on pharmaceutical manufacturers to license such patents and take the drug to market.

It was not immediately clear which companies, if any, have licensed the experimental avian flu technology.

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Pennsylvania Army veteran indicted on terrorism charges – UPI.com

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Pennsylvania Army veteran indicted on terrorism charges – UPI.com


Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Department of Justice at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC in 2023. The Justice Department indicted a Pennsylvania man Thursday on attempting to join the terrorist organization Hezbollah. File photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 2 (UPI) — A Pennsylvania man has been indicted on charges of attempting to support the foreign terrorist organization Hezbollah, the Justice Department reported Thursday.

Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, a former resident of Pittsburgh, attempted to provide material support and resources to the terrorist group from August 2024 through December 2024, in Lebanon, Syria, the Western District of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Molloy undertook these actions “knowing that the organization was a designated terrorist organization and that the organization had engaged in and was engaging in terrorist activity and terrorism, ” a release from the Justice Department said in a criminal complaint.

Molloy, a citizen of both the United States and Ireland, previously served on active duty status in the U.S Army, traveled to Lebanon in August 2024 and attempted to join Hezbollah but was told by “multiple individuals that the time was not right, and that he needed to take other steps before he could join the terrorist organization,” the Justice Department release said.

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Molloy continued to try to join Hezbollah while living in Upper St. Clair, Pa. and allegedly continued to communicate with members of the organization online and in Lebanon. He also expressed his hatred toward, and promoted violence against, Jewish people,” documents show.

“Molloy’s alleged animus toward Jews was also evidenced by multiple images and videos on his electronic devices and the usernames he chose for his social media and email accounts, including the username “KIKEKILLER313″ on the social media platform X. In one alleged WhatsApp exchange with a family member, Molloy agreed that his ‘master plan was to join Hezbollah and kill Jews,’” Justice Department documents show.

He is also alleged to have visited a website that showed the possible incarceration location of Robert Bowers, the man who carried out the 2018 Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue shooting during which he murdered 11 Jewish worshippers. It is thought that Molloy was a Bowers sympathizer.

The indictment also says Molloy lied to FBI investigators at the Pittsburgh International Airport in October, 2024 about his contact with members of Hezbollah. He said had no current or future plans to become involved with the organization and that he had no business in, nor was he meeting with anyone, in Syria.

“These statements and representations were false because Molloy knew at that time that (1) he did have current and future plans to become involved with Hizballah and (2) Molloy travelled to Syria in furtherance of his attempts to join Hezbollah, and while in Syria, set up a meeting with an individual there,” the Justice Department release said.

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Molloy faces up to 28 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted on the material support and false statement charges.



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