Avian flu (bird flu) has spread to dairy herds in more parts of California, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency. The virus has continued to spread uncontrolled in California and other parts of the country. However, the outbreaks in California have intensified in recent weeks. Over 300 dairy herds been infected just in the last month. In terms of human cases, the state accounts for half of the known infections in the US. So far, 60 human infections have been reported, but studies show that this number is likely an undercount because many cases go undetected. The emergency declaration enables a more cohesive response to viral threat across the state.
In Louisiana, a patient has been hospitalized with what is the US’s first severe human case of bird flu. The person likely contracted the virus through exposure to backyard birds. Canada’s first severe human case occurred in early November when a teen in British Columbia was admitted to the hospital and remained in critical condition for weeks. Health authorities have still not determined how the young patient was infected.
The ongoing outbreaks in mammals and humans concerns scientists, because the longer the virus is allowed to circulate, the more likely it will evolve the ability to spread from person-to-person. While there is no evidence that it is currently spreading between humans, genetic analysis revealed mutations that suggest the virus is getting closer to this capability. If the virus does mutate to become more infectious or contagious, it could trigger a human pandemic potentially much worse than COVID-19.
