California declares state of emergency following discovery of bird flu in dairy cows

12/20/2024 / By Ava Grace

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California due to the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which has been detected in dairy cows.
H5N1 has been reported in at least 16 states, resulting in the culling of over 100 million birds. Sixty-one human cases have been detected, with 34 of those found in California.
Dairy cows can harbor H5N1 in their milk, raising the risk of transmission to humans and more severe infections.
Newsom’s declaration aims to provide the necessary resources to respond to the outbreak. The FDA has confirmed that grocery beef and dairy products are safe for now, but advises against raw milk consumption.

In a move that underscores the escalating threat posed by the H5N1 avian influenza virus, Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in California. The declaration comes as the virus has now been detected in dairy cows, raising new concerns about the spread of the disease and its potential to mutate into a more dangerous form.

Avian influenza is a type of flu virus that primarily affects birds, but it can occasionally jump to other species, including humans. The H5N1 strain is particularly concerning because it has a high mortality rate in birds and has the potential to become a global pandemic if it mutates to infect humans more efficiently.

The H5N1 virus, which typically affects birds, has been spreading across the U.S. since March, with at least 16 states now reporting cases. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that the risk to the general public remains low, the detection of bird flu in dairy cows is a significant development that has prompted a more aggressive response from state officials. (Related: Avian bird flu suddenly becomes COW FLU as dairy farms begin culling animals to destroy the domestic food supply.)

In the current outbreak, at least 61 human cases have been detected across the country, with 34 of those cases in California. Most of these infections have been linked to individuals working with infected poultry or cattle. However, the detection of bird flu in dairy cows is a new and alarming development.

“The mild cases that we’ve seen in the United States largely reflect that many of the individuals are getting infected by dairy cows and that’s very different than getting infected with infected birds,” said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Health Security. “If you look at the genotype of this patient in Louisiana, it wasn’t the cattle strain. It was a wild bird strain.”

Over 100 million birds culled over bird flu fears – will cows be next?

The virus has already led to the culling of over 100 million birds in an attempt to control its spread. The detection of avian influenza in cows now complicates containment efforts due to the ability of dairy cows to harbor large amounts of the H5N1 virus in their milk, increasing the risk of transmission to farmworkers and potentially leading to more severe human infections.

Newsom’s declaration of a state of emergency is aimed at providing the necessary resources and flexibility to respond to the outbreak. The state has already implemented measures to minimize employee exposure on dairy farms, and the declaration will allow for more coordinated efforts to contain the virus.

The Food and Drug Administration has assured consumers that grocery-shelf beef and dairy products are safe to consume but advises against drinking raw milk.

Despite these reassurances from health officials, the detection of bird flu in cows raises questions about the effectiveness of containment efforts. Some farmers have even been reluctant to comply with testing and containment measures, which health authorities claim could contribute to the spread of the virus.

“The current response has been reactive rather than proactive,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “We need to do more to prevent the spread of the virus and monitor its mutations closely.”

Visit Outbreak.news for more on the bird flu outbreak.

Watch this video reporting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state of emergency declaration in response to the spread of bird flu.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.