Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) declared a state of emergency for California on Wednesday due to concerns over the spread of the bird flu, which is a virus that can be deadly.
In Wednesday’s state of emergency proclamation, Newsom said, “All residents are to obey the direction of emergency officials with regard to this emergency in order to protect their safety.”
Newsom’s state of emergency order explained that the bird flu virus, also called avian influenza A (H5N1), was initially detected in January of 2022 among the wild bird population in South Carolina and that an outbreak of the bird flu was reported in dairy cows in March of 2024.
According to the proclamation, the first bird flu case in a California dairy cow was reported in August. Since that time, “641 dairies have confirmed positive tests for Bird Flu” in Central California. The proclamation noted that dairy cows at four Southern California dairies recently tested positive for bird flu on December 12, “necessitating a shift from regional containment to statewide monitoring and response to active cases.”
California’s state of emergency proclamation also pointed to 61 human cases of the bird flu virus that have been reported in eight different states. Of the 61 human cases, 34 have been reported in California.
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“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Newsom said. “Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information.”
Newsom added, “While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that a human patient was recently hospitalized with the first severe bird flu case.
“A patient has been hospitalized with a severe case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus (‘H5N1 bird flu’) infection in Louisiana,” the CDC announced. “This marks the first instance of severe illness linked to the virus in the United States.”
Despite the confirmation of the first severe bird flu case in a human patient in the United States, the CDC claimed, “This case does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate risk to the public’s health from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low.”
