Breaking: EMERGENCY Declared in US State Over Bird Flu!

United States: Health authorities in California have declared a state of emergency over bird flu, which is ravaging dairy cows in that state and sporadically affecting individuals in the US.

More about the news

That, in turn, generates new questions about the virus, which has been circulating for years through wild birds, commercial poultry, and many mammals.

This virus, or Type A H5N1, was detected for the first time in March in the United States dairy farming. Since then, bird flu has been recorded in at least 866 selected farms in 16 states.

More than 60 people in eight states contracted the disease, with the majority reporting relatively mild symptoms, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This week, the Louisiana Health Board reported one case of severe infection in a resident of Louisiana, making it the first confirmed case of the new virus in the United States.

Why declaration of emergency?

The Republican Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he called the state of emergency to establish the state staff and equipment to fight against the outbreak.

California has been searching for bird flu in large milk tanks when processing. They’ve located the virus in at least 650 herds, which account for about 75% of all the affected dairy operations in the United States.

It was recently identified in Southern California dairy farms after it had been identified in the state’s Central Valley in August.

As per Newsom, “This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” US News reported.

How much risk to the public?

Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reiterated this week that the virus has a low risk to most people.

However, it has not been found that this virus is capable of transmitting from one person to another, and there is no sign that this virus has mutated to live longer and pass between humans easily.

Specifically, flu specialists concurring with that statement said that it is premature to predict the path the epidemic could follow.

However, experts in viruses do not concur because flu viruses have a high rate of mutation, and small changes can alter the picture entirely.

According to Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, “The entirely unsatisfactory answer is going to be: I don’t think we know yet,” US News reported.