REVEALED: US is working with Chinese scientists to make bird flu strains more contagious and deadly as part of $1 million project – despite fears similar tests have unleashed Covid
The US government, in collaboration with Chinese scientists, is spending $1 million of US taxpayer money to fund experiments on dangerous bird flu viruses.
The research involves infecting ducks and geese with different strains of the virus to make them more transmissible and contagious, and studying the viruses' potential to “jump into mammalian hosts,” according to research papers.
It is funded by the US Department of Agriculture and collaborative studies will take place at sites in Georgia, Beijing and Edinburgh in Scotland.
It's coming despite such research being restricted in 2022 and concerns growing that questionable Chinese research may have been the start Covid pandemic.
The White Coat Waste Project has obtained the above photo and claims it shows animal experiments at the USDA laboratory working with Chinese scientists on bird flu research.
The above shows a caged chicken that The White Coat Waste Project claims comes from the USDA laboratory that works with Chinese government scientists on bird flu research.
The above shows a caged chicken that The White Coat Waste Project claims comes from the USDA laboratory that works with Chinese government scientists on bird flu research.
The documents were obtained by campaign group The White Coat Waste Project and shared with DailyMail.com.
The papers show that funding for the avian virus research began in April 2021 and will continue through March 2026.
The USDA told this website that the project was applied for in 2019 and approved in 2020.
The specific viruses the researchers will work with include H5NX, H7N9 and H9N2, WCW reported.
A 2023 study described H5NX viruses as 'highly pathogenic' with the ability to cause neurological complications in humans.
The H7N9 strain first infected people and animals in China in March 2013 and the World Health Organization said this is concerning “as most patients have become seriously ill.”
The H9N2 strain has been found in pigeons in China and although it has lower pathogenicity than the other strains, it can still infect humans.
Key collaborators on the project are the USDA Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute, a laboratory partner from Wuhan.
Moreover, one of the researchers collaborating on the project is Wenju Liu, who is affiliated with the WIV – which is believed to have caused the Covid pandemic – and a member of the board of directors of a scientific journal, in collaboration with Zheng- Li Shi, who is known as the 'bat lady' for her extensive work on bat coronaviruses.
Various aspects of the research will take place at multiple locations, including poultry research centers in Athens, Georgia, at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh. and at the Chinese Academy in Beijing.
Allan Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the USDA, told DailyMail.com that the $100 million funding awarded to the research “will only be used for the specific components performed by our own team in Athens, Georgia, and in no way contributes to research. that take place in Britain or China.'
Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa wrote a letter Thursday to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking for more information about the department's ongoing funding of the study.
One of the researchers funded by the USDA is Wenju Liu, an affiliate of the WIV and a board member of a scientific journal, where he collaborates with Zheng-Li Shi, known as the “bat lady” for her extensive work. about bat coronaviruses
The research involves infecting ducks and geese with bird flu viruses in gain-of-function experiments to make the diseases more transmissible and contagious.
The specific viruses the researchers will work with include H5NX, H7N9 and H9N2
Between 2015 and 2023, at least seven U.S. entities provided NIH grant money to laboratories in China that conduct animal testing, totaling $3,306,061
Shi Zhengli – dubbed the 'Bat Lady' or 'Bat Woman' for her work on bat coronaviruses – is pictured in a laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. She tracked down dozens of deadly Covid-like viruses in bat caves and studied them at the WIV
Justin Goodman, senior vice president of WCW, said in a statement to DailyMail.com: “It is reckless and indefensible for… bureaucrats to fund dangerous studies into the inner workings of bird flu involving virus researchers from Wuhan's infamous animal laboratory involved. likely the cause of COVID and its CCP-led parent organization, the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“Taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for animal testing with foreign adversaries that can push viruses and cause pandemics or create bioweapons.”
Following the release of the documents by WCW, Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa wrote a letter Thursday to Tom Vilsack, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, asking for more information about the department's ongoing funding of the investigation.
The letter read: “I was disturbed to learn from the nonprofit White Coat Waste Project that USDA is supporting experiments with a 'highly pathogenic avian flu virus' that poses a 'risk to both animals and humans.'
Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa wrote a letter Thursday to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking for more information about the department's ongoing funding of the study.
Sen. Ernst said in a statement to DailyMail.com: “The health and safety of Americans is too important to be taken lightly, and Biden's USDA should have been more understanding before sending taxpayer money to deal with to work. [China] about risky bird flu research.
“They should know by now to suspect 'fowl' play when it comes to researchers linked to the dangerous Wuhan Lab, and simply switching from bats to birds is raising concerns that they are creating more pathogens with pandemic potential.”
“Here's my warning: The Biden administration should walk on eggshells until it cuts off every cent going to our adversaries. We cannot allow what happened in Wuhan to happen again.”
Despite the senators' concerns, the USDA spokesperson told this website that it is “common for international researchers to conduct independent research tied to the same end goal” and that the research does not qualify as gain-of-function.
He added, “Anytime Senator Ernst has a question for USDA about our research or our commitment to helping American farmers reduce animal diseases like highly pathogenic bird flu, she should contact us directly before posting misinformation in a press release or public letter. …and despite the Senator's claims, this is not a gain-of-function study.
“Because animal diseases are a global threat, it is common for international researchers to conduct independent research related to the same end goal – but what Senator Ernst outlines in her letter is far from what actually happens, and is also based on approval decisions that date back from before this government.'