On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency owing to growing concerns of a bird flu outbreak. The emergency proclamation comes in light of more cases being detected in Southern California dairy cows now, reported the Los Angeles Times. In addition, Disease Control and Prevention announced a troubling development after spotting the first-ever severe case of human illness in a Louisiana patient. This H5N1 bird flu virus traveled from the Central Valley to Southern California dairy cattle, with migrating birds now carrying the virus across the nation.
California among first states to declare an emergency due to bird flu
California became one of the first states in the U.S. to declare an emergency due to the bird flu outbreak after Governor Gavin Newsom’s proclamation. A previous CBS News report stated that Colorado Governor Jared Polis also issued an emergency declaration in Weld County earlier in July. At the time, the state witnessed a rise in the avian flu (H5N1) outbreak in poultry and dairy farms. Gov. Polis also announced that Colorado officials had detected at least 50 cases, which was the highest number back then.
A new report from the outlet mentioned Newsom’s statement from Wednesday to announce California’s state of emergency due to bird flu outbreak. He noted that the “proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak.” In addition, the governor highlighted that despite low risks to public health at the moment, they “will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus,” reported the Los Angeles Times.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed recording 61 cases of bird flu in humans, with more than half of them in California. The agency reported that it detected 34 cases in the state. Furthermore, a large animal researcher from UC Davis, Dr. Michael Payne, said that there are “about 600 dairies inside California right now that are in quarantine because of avian influenza.” Payne mentioned that the virus mutated and is infecting “lactating cows” and “milk cows.”
Lastly, the report stated that public health officials remain concerned because H5N1 bird flu viruses are often fatal with respect to human infections.
