Newsom Declares Bird Flu Emergency in California as US Confirms 1st Severe Case

Updated 2:25 p.m. Wednesday

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in response to the bird flu outbreak, an action meant to allow the state and local agencies additional resources to increase virus surveillance and slow the spread.

The declaration comes as new dairy cows in Southern California test positive. The state’s Department of Food and Agriculture has detected the virus at 645 dairies, about half of them in the last month. To date, the virus has not spread from person-to-person in California, and nearly all infected individuals were exposed to infected cattle.

Newsom’s announcement coincides with concerning news from Louisiana, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the nation’s first severe human case of bird flu. The patient, who was exposed to sick and dead birds in their backyard flock, is currently hospitalized.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture started testing the nation’s milk supply for bird flu earlier this month, and the agency alerted dairy processors that they may have to provide samples of raw milk on request.

Maurice Pitesky, a professor at UC Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine, said there are ways to keep yourself and your animals safe.

“Washing your hands. Having dedicated clothing and boots that only get used in our backyard coop and don’t get dragged inside,” Pitesky said. “ Because that’s one of the ways, for example, we can transmit other diseases like salmonella.”

To date, California has recorded 34 human bird flu cases this year. The virus is present among dairy cattle in 16 states across the country.

This is a developing story, and it will be updated. KQED’s Keith Mizuguchi contributed to this report.