California declares a state of emergency to combat increasing bird flu infections on dairy farms

California declares a state of emergency to combat increasing bird flu infections on dairy farms

California declares a state of emergency to combat increasing bird flu infections on dairy farms

On Wednesday, a state of emergency was declared in the US state of California to combat bird flu after the virus spread to more than a quarter of the state’s dairies last month and infected 34 state residents.
“This proclamation is a targeted measure to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Newsom said in a statement.
The virus has hit the country’s largest milk-producing state. The state Department of Agriculture has detected the virus in 645 dairies, about half of them in the last 30 days alone.
Meanwhile, federal health officials confirmed the first known serious illness caused by the virus.
A person in Louisiana is hospitalized in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms caused by an avian flu infection, state health officials said. The person, aged over 65 and with health problems, had contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock.
More than 60 human avian flu infections have been reported in the U.S. since March, but the underlying illnesses were mild and most were found in farm workers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows.
Flu experts said the spread of the virus in humans remains unclear but urged people who come into contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including wearing respiratory protection, eye protection and gloves when handling poultry.
“We may be seeing more cases of severe illness in the U.S. as cases appear to be occurring more frequently,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.

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