New Delhi: Avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as bird flu, has hit California hard.
Not taking a chance, a state of emergency has been declared in the most populous American state after 34 people were infected.
The emergency declaration by California governor Gavin Newsom followed the detection of cases of dairy cows on farms in southern California. According to the governor’s office, this development highlights the need to enhance monitoring efforts and strengthen the statewide response to contain and mitigate spread of the virus.
However, no person-to-person transmission of bird flu has been identified in California so far, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
All infected persons had direct contact with infected cattle.
California has already implemented the largest testing and monitoring system in the USA to address the H5N1 outbreak.
California apart, the H5N1 virus has spread across 15 other states among dairy cattle after it was first detected in Texas and Kansas in March 2024, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A total of 61 human cases of H5N1 have been reported from across America since April, including a severe case of one patient being hospitalised in the state of Louisiana.
