Following the spread of bird flu in 16 states, Governor Newsom proclaimed a State of Emergency to enhance the state’s preparedness and accelerate the ongoing cross-agency response efforts.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- State of Emergency Declared: California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to strengthen the state’s response to bird flu after its detection in Southern California dairy cows and its spread to 16 states.
- Enhanced Response Measures: The emergency proclamation provides state and local agencies with greater flexibility in staffing, contracting, and other rules to support efforts like PPE distribution, public education, and coordinated monitoring.
- Cross-Agency Collaboration: California is working with federal agencies, including the CDC and USDA, to contain the outbreak, educate at-risk workers, and ensure timely surveillance of bird flu cases.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a State of Emergency to enhance the state’s response to avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as bird flu, following the detection of bird flu in Southern California dairy cows and its spread across 16 states.
The virus was first confirmed in Texas and Kansas in March 2024. To date, no person-to-person spread of bird flu has been detected in California, and nearly all infected individuals had exposure to infected cattle.
According to a press release from Governor Newsom’s office, this emergency proclamation will provide state and local agencies with additional flexibility around staffing, contracting, and other rules to support California’s evolving response.
[RELATED: Louisiana Patient Hospitalized With Severe H5N1 Bird Flu]
“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak. 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,” says Governor Newsom in a release.
Ongoing Efforts to Prevent Spread and Serious Infection
California has mobilized a cross-agency response to bird flu in dairy cattle and poultry farms to minimize farm worker exposures, reduce raw dairy product contamination, and mitigate the spread of the virus.
The state has enlisted local, state, and federal government technical and operational expertise to support all facets of the response; worked to educate the public, health professionals, employers, and workers on prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of exposure to Bird Flu; provided comprehensive information for employers and workers on personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements; and distributed millions of pieces of PPE to high-risk workers at dairy farms.
[RELATED: California Recalls Raw Milk and Cream Due to Possible Bird Flu Contamination]
Through public awareness efforts between the California Department of Public Health, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Office of Emergency Services, and other agencies, the state is leading a cross-agency response that includes public updates, multilingual outreach to dairy and poultry workers, targeted social media efforts to promote preventive practices, online and printed resources for the public, and media interviews to keep Californians informed.
Additionally, the state is ensuring that agriculture workers have access to additional doses of seasonal flu vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce concurrent flu risks.
[RELATED: California Reports Potential Bird Flu in Child with No Known Animal Contacts]
Officials have also been working in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, the US Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture, and local health and agricultural officials, as part of a whole-of-government effort to coordinate, implement, and ensure timely surveillance and investigation of potential cases of bird flu, according to a release.
Bird Flu in the United States
Bird Flu was first detected in the United States in the wild bird population in South Carolina in January 2022 and in the wild bird population in California in July 2022. On March 25, 2024, an outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows was first reported in Texas and Kansas, and California Department of Food and Agriculture took action to monitor for bird flu infections in California herds.
Since then, there have been 61 reported confirmed cases of bird flu infection in humans across seven states, including 34 reported human cases in California.
On Aug 30, 2024, following its detection in 13 other states, bird flu was confirmed in a dairy cow in Central California, and the California Department of Public Health activated its Medical Health Coordination Center.
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