Why has California declared a state of emergency over bird flu?
Al Jazeera
Cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu are on the rise in humans in the US, with the first severe case reported in Louisiana this week.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in response to growing concerns about bird flu cases in the state. Meanwhile, on the same day, the country’s first severe case of the virus was reported in Louisiana.
Here is what we know so far about the virus and why it has become so serious.
The emergency declaration on Wednesday was made after several more dairy cows tested positive for the virus in southern California.
Newsom said declaring a state of emergency would make funds available to “streamline and expedite” efforts to tackle an outbreak.
Since bird flu was detected in dairy farms in the United States in 2022, it has spread to hundreds of herds of cattle in 16 US states and caused infections in some dairy farm workers – all of which have been mild so far.
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