California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday proclaimed a state of emergency to respond to concerns with the bird flu virus.
Avian influenza A, or H5N1, also known as bird flu, has been detected in the state and 15 others across the nation, according to Newsom’s office.
By declaring a state of emergency, Newsom said the state can streamline and expedite its response.
“This action comes as cases were detected in dairy cows on farms in Southern California, signaling the need to further expand monitoring and build on the coordinated statewide approach to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus,” said Newsom’s office.
To date, no person-to-person spread of bird flu has been detected in California and most infected individuals had exposure to infected cattle, according to the governor. California has already established the largest testing and monitoring system in the nation to respond to the outbreak, he said.
Newsom said much of the focus will be on cattle and dairy farms.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.