California declares bird flu emergency

Milk gathered for testing amid H5N1 avian flu outbreak

Milk gathered for testing amid the H5N1 avian flu outbreak

(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)

published 19 December 2024

What happened

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency Wednesday as a rash of H5N1 avian flu outbreaks at Central Valley dairies spread to Southern California. Hours earlier, federal health officials announced that a Louisiana resident was hospitalized with the nation's first severe bird flu infection.

The emergency proclamation is a "targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak," Newsom said in a press release. California is home to 645 of America's 865 infected cattle herds, according to the USDA. The virus was also detected in raw milk in California stores, leading to a recall last month. Los Angeles County yesterday "confirmed the deaths of two cats from bird flu infections after drinking the recalled raw milk," The Associated Press said.

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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.