Gov. Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency in response to bird flu

SACRAMENTO -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday "to streamline and expedite the state's response" to bird flu.

The declaration is a result of more cases being detected in Southern California dairy farm cows.

The Governor's Office says the emergency proclamation will give state and local agencies additional flexibility in areas such as staffing and contracting.

There has been no confirmed person-to-person spread of the virus as almost all cases in California involve individuals who've come into contact with infected cattle.

Bird flu in the U.S.

Bird flu was first detected in the U.S. in the wild bird population in South Carolina in January 2022 then in California six months later.

In March, an outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows was first reported in Texas and Kansas. Since then, there have been 61 total reported confirmed cases of bird flu infection in humans across seven states, including 34 reported human cases in California.

In August, following its detection in 13 other states, bird flu was confirmed in a dairy cow in Central California.

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first severe case of bird flu in the United States.

A person over the age of 65 with underlying medical conditions is listed as critical condition at a hospital in Louisiana. Officials say the patient is experiencing severe respiratory illness related to bird flu infection.