California declares State of Emergency due to H5N1 bird flu

California has declared a State of Emergency due to H5N1 bird flu concerns, the Governor’s office confirmed. The declaration comes after an outbreak affecting dairy farms has spread to Southern California.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Governor Newsom’s office confirmed the State of Emergency due to bird flu. “This action comes as cases were detected in dairy cows on farms in Southern California, signaling the need to further expand monitoring and build on the coordinated statewide approach to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus,” the statement said.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” said Newsom. “While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”

A newer strain of H5N1 bird flu – clade 2.3.4.4b – has raised concern due to its global spread and the rising number of cases in mammals, including hundreds of outbreaks among dairy cows in the U.S. This year has also seen a limited but growing number of human cases after contact with birds or cows.

With nearly 650 confirmed cases of infected dairy cow herds since the initial detections in August, California has emerged as the epicenter of a nationwide outbreak affecting cattle. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that the state accounts for 75% of all U.S. detections to date.

California also is the state with most human infections of H5N1, mostly from dairy and poultry workers. The state has reported 35 confirmed and suspected cases so far this year. One of the cases has no known connection to poultry or dairy, sparking concerns that the virus might be spreading through other mammals or alternate transmission methods.