The avian flu pandemic ravaging poultry farms across the country, raising the price of eggs and wings is an act of nature, but the human response to it reveals the value of a non-political group whose funding, already restricted by the Trump administration, remains in jeopardy: scientific researchers funded through the National Institutes of Health.
They do the work necessary to mitigate the effects of pandemics like this one, and perhaps prevent them — and by doing that save the nation — the government as well as consumers — a lot of money.
Pennsylvania officials are currently quarantining a 50,000 chicken flock in Lehigh County, where the first commercial case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in our state was reported on Jan. 28. The HPAI, which has spread throughout the U.S. since 2022, can wipe out tens of thousands of birds in days. Officials worry that the virus, which has already spread to cattle, could eventually mutate and threaten humans.
The economic damage is already widespread. About 29 million egg-laying hens have been killed since October, and over 100 million since the pandemic began in 2022. In some parts of the country, egg prices are seven times higher than they were two years ago, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting another 20% increase. The Pennsylvania game commission expects cases to continue rising through March.
Meanwhile, University of Pittsburgh researchers made a medical breakthrough in research published in “Science” on Jan. 30, unveiling a monoclonal antibody treatment that successfully shielded macaque monkeys from severe avian flu infections. Researchers from the NIH and its affiliated institutions were directly involved in this effort. Pitt currently receives the region’s largest share of NIH money, over $660 million last year.
The Pitt breakthrough was particularly significant because the antibodies target one of the most stable parts of the HPAI virus — meaning that the treatment will likely be effective against future mutations of the virus, including the worst-case scenario in which HPAI spreads to humans.
The funding for this type of research has been in jeopardy since the Trump Administration ordered a freeze on all new grants from the NIH, leaving researchers with canceled appointments and applications in limbo. Research builds on research and scientists don’t always know what discoveries will prove useful, one reason continuity and security in funding is needed. That’s why it needs to be funded in the broad way that seems to upset the administration.
A judge halted the freeze, but that order may be overturned by a higher court. Even if it isn’t, the political reality is that if the administration wants to reduce or eliminate much of the funding, it will be able to do so.
Donald Trump ran on the rising price of eggs, which he blamed on President Joe Biden. He shouldn’t cut off funding to the people whose work may bring the prices down. For now, fortunately, with what funds they can find, scientists will continue working to protect us, even if we won’t protect them.
