California Declares State of Emergency in Response to Louisiana Bird Flu Case

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to the rise of bird flu in sixteen states — including the first serious human case out of Louisiana.

California’s move is expected to encourage and accelerate cross-agency response and collaboration as more reports are appearing of avian influenza A, also known as H5N1 or bird flu, following the first confirmed cases in Texas and Kansas in March 2024.

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

“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.

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

The 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.

To date, no person-to-person spread of bird flu has been detected in California and nearly all infected individuals had exposure to infected cattle. California has already established the largest testing and monitoring system in the nation to respond to the outbreak.

The patient in Louisiana is reportedly in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms. The person, who is over 65 and has underlying medical problems, had been in contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Previous illnesses in the U.S. have been mild, and the vast majority have been among farmworkers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows. This is also the first U.S. human case linked to exposure to a backyard flock, the agency said.

This year, more than 60 bird flu infections have been reported, with over half of them in California. In two — an adult in Missouri and a child in California — health officials have not determined how they caught it.

The Missouri patient also was hospitalized, but for reasons beyond just the bird flu infection. The Louisiana case is different because the person’s hospitalization is due to the flu symptoms, CDC officials said.

Last month, Canadian officials reported that a teen in British Columbia was hospitalized with a severe case of bird flu. CDC officials did not answer a question about whether the new U.S. case had any similarities or differences, directing reporters to ask Louisiana officials.

Health officials say bird flu is still mainly an animal health issue, and the risk to the general public remains low. There has so far been no documented spread of the virus from person to person.

Associated Press contributed to this report.