BBC Inside Science: BBC News update

Key points

• Available for 7 days A phase 3 clinical trial is underway to determine the effectiveness of an mRNA vaccine for H5N1, a strain of influenza that is currently of concern.
• The virus, which is commonly found in birds across the world and is rarely transmitted to humans.
• However, when it is transmitted, the disease is often fatal, and scientists fear that if the virus were to mutate, it could lead to rapid, widespread infection.
• Following the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world are keen to be better prepared for future threats.
• These latest efforts aim to develop an mRNA vaccine that could be rolled out on an unprecedented scale if the worst were to happen.