California has declared a state of emergency for bird flu amid fears that it could jump to people and start to spread.
It comes just hours after an American in Louisiana was hospitalized with a severe case of the H5N1 bird flu for the first time.
Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed the emergency today, saying it would free up funds and ‘streamline and expedite’ the state’s efforts to combat the virus.
California has recorded just over half of all bird flu infections detected in humans this year, or 32 out of the 61 total cases according to the CDC.
Testing at the vast majority of its wastewater sites — or more than 80 percent — has also now detected the H5N1 virus.
But cases are all linked to exposure to cattle, or wild or domestic birds, and there are no signs that the virus has spread from person-to-person in the state — which would be needed to start a pandemic.
California terminated the state’s Covid State of Emergency in February 2023.Â
Newsom said: ‘This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak.
California has declared a state of emergency over the emerging bird flu pandemic (stock of workers wearing hazmat suits). The above shows workers in tthe Eden Valley, Minnesota, in 2015. They were responding to a bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm
‘Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry [and] ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information.
‘While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.’
State officials said the decision to declare the emergency was made after H5N1 was detected in cattle in the south of the state.
Overall, bird flu has now spread to more than 800 cattle herds in 16 states after first being detected in cattle in Texas in the spring.
A total of eight states have detected bird flu in humans, with Washington having the second highest number of infections at 11 people and Colorado the third highest at 10 people.
Infectious disease experts have repeatedly raised concerns over the infections, warning that each raises the risk of the virus gaining mutations allowing it to spread between people.
In California, the first bird flu case was detected in dairy cows in the state on August 30 and the first case in a human on October 3 in a dairy farm worker.
A state of emergency in a US state is a formal declaration when a significant threat or crisis occurs.
It enables the state to activate emergency powers and resources, which may include allowing the governor to act quickly without legislative approval and freeing up emergency funds for disaster response.
The above map shows bird flu cases by state in the US that have been recorded this year. The cases are among people
The above shows detections of bird flu in wastewater. There is a cluster of detections in the California area
In California, every infection except one has been linked to exposure to dairy cattle on farms.
Late last month, a child in California was confirmed to have been infected with bird flu. Â
This is a breaking news story. It is being updated…Â
