US: California declares emergency as bird flu infects 74% of its dairy

Amid rampant avian flu outbreak in the United States, the Californian state government has formally declared a state of emergency to control the rapidly spreading H5N1 virus, which is popularly known as bird flu. 

The invoking of the emergency comes in the wake of more than a quarter of the state’s dairies being infected in the last one month. The avian flu has also infected 34 of its state residents since March earlier this year.

Across the United States, the number of humans infected by H5N1 avian flu has now soared to 61. 

With over 1,100 dairies, California is the largest milk producing state in the United States accounting for 18.2 per cent of milk production in 2022. 

However, since August 30 when the state reported bird flu infection in its dairy cows from central California, the virus has affected more than 641 dairies in nine counties until early December. 

California is the worst affected state with almost 74.10 per cent of the total 865 cases reported thus far in the US  hail from here.  

The government has invoked provisions citing conditions of ‘extreme peril’ to the safety of persons and property owing to bird flu. 

Gavin Newsom, the Californian governor in the stated, “I find that the conditions caused by Bird Flu, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to appropriately respond.”

The declaration further reads that the local authority is not equipped to cope with the magnitude of damage caused by bird flu.

Proclaiming a state of emergency enables more funding to respond to crises similar to natural disasters. The declaration stated that resources would be mobilised faster to address the rapid spread of the virus in the state. 

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” the statement issued by the governor said.

Earlier in July, the governor of Colorado declared a disaster emergency following an outbreak of avian flu virus in commercial poultry operation.

The US maintains that no recorded instances of human to human transmission are known till date.