California Gov. Gavin Newson declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, over bird flu infection in cattle herds. Newsom called the measure a ‘proactive action’ after more bird flu cases were declared in Southern California dairy cows.
On the same day, the first severe illness in a person, from Louisiana, was also seen due to the 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,” Newsom stated.
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Bird Flu in Humans
Federal health officials say that there have been 51 cases of bird flu detected in humans, mostly among people who have had close contact with dairy herds or farmed poultry. 34 of these cases were from California. However, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of bird flu. Despite the state of emergency, the overall risk to the US public from the current outbreak remains low.
Newsom also shared that California has already implemented measures to combat bird flu by working with dairy and poultry farms to minimise farm worker exposure.
Is Bird Flu Deadly?
H5N1 bird flu becomes particularly deadly when it comes to human infections. According to WHO, 860 human infections of bird flu have been recorded across 19 countries since 2003. 53% of these cases resulted in death.
Symptoms of Bird Flu
Common human symptoms of bird flu are very similar to the flu. Eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy rose, diarrhoea, vomiting, muscle or body ache, headache, fatigue and fever are some common signs.
The severity of these symptoms can range from none to severe.
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