Gov. Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency amid bird flu outbreak

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Wednesday to streamline and expedite the state’s response to Avian influenza A, commonly known as Bird Flu.

The proclamation comes after cases of the bird flu were detected in dairy cows on farms in Southern California. A Fresno-based company, Raw Farm LLC, was at the center of two recalls after the bird flu virus was detected in samples of its raw milk.

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

To date, no person-to-person spread of the virus has been detected in California, and nearly all infected individuals had exposure to infected cattle, according to the governor’s office.

Symptoms of bird flu in humans include:

• Eye redness or discharge
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Trouble breathing
• Fever

The bird flu virus was first detected in the U.S. in the wild bird population in South Carolina in January 2022 and in the wild bird population in California in July 2022. On March 25, 2024, an outbreak of the virus in dairy cows was first reported in Texas and Kansas.

Since then, there have been 61 confirmed bird flu virus infection cases in humans across seven states, including 34 reported human cases in California.