Gavin Newsom orders state of emergency over bird flu in California

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency order to mobilize government efforts against bird flu.

Newsom posted the order on social media on Wednesday and explained that the flu strain had been detected in dairy cows at farms in Southern California. The avian flu strain was first detected in March in Texas and Kansas but has since spread among dairy cattle in at least 16 states.

One of the targets of the state's 'comprehensive cross-agency response' was to reduce contamination in raw dairy products.

“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," he added. "While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”

The release from the governor's office admitted that although 34 cases of bird flu in humans had been detected in California, there were no instances of human-to-human transmission of the strain yet. A total of 61 cases of human bird flu infections had been detected in 16 states.

One of the targets of the state's "comprehensive cross-agency response" was to reduce contamination in raw dairy products.

In May, investigative journalist Eric Schlosser told Bill Maher on his show that the next pandemic could erupt from mega-dairies in Texas spreading bird flu. Schlosser claimed that lobbying from the food industry had led to irresponsible limitations on testing at food production plants and threatened the safety of the food supply.

Others have argued that bird flu would be used by the state to infringe on civil liberties and expand the power of the government.

Also on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case of severe bird flu infection in a human in Louisiana. That case was tied to a backyard flock of birds, not a dairy farm, according to officials.

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