California declares state of emergency as bird flu hits dairy cows  

USA – California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency on December 18 to strengthen the state’s response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. 

The declaration comes in the wake of confirmed cases among dairy cows on Southern California farms, signalling an urgent need to expand monitoring efforts and mitigate the virus’s spread.  

This outbreak marks a concerning development in the spread of H5N1, initially detected in U.S. dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas in March 2024. 

Since then, the virus has impacted dairy herds in 16 states, with California reporting its first case on August 30 in Central California. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the state, a leading dairy producer, now holds the nation’s highest number of HPAI cases in dairy cattle.  

Newsom emphasised the importance of a coordinated response to safeguard public health and the agriculture industry, stating, “This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility to respond quickly to this outbreak. While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”  

California has implemented a cross-agency effort to address the outbreak, focusing on protecting farmworkers, minimising raw dairy product contamination, and curbing the virus’s spread. 

The response includes collaborations among the California Department of Public Health, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and other state agencies.

 Key measures involve multilingual outreach to dairy and poultry workers, social media campaigns promoting preventive practices, and issuing recalls of raw milk from two producers.  

The outbreak in California aligns with a broader national surge in HPAI cases, including recent confirmations in poultry across Idaho, Nebraska, and South Dakota. 

While no human-to-human transmission has been detected in California, human cases have been reported among dairy and poultry workers in other states.  

New diagnostic kit 

In response, Labcorp announced the launch of a new H5 bird flu molecular diagnostic test on December 17. 

Developed in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the test is designed to diagnose human infections with H5N1, bolstering public health preparedness.  

Dr. Marcia Eisenberg, Labcorp’s chief scientific officer, highlighted the significance of the test: “By leveraging Labcorp’s scientific expertise and extensive testing capacity, we are contributing to a proactive public health preparedness strategy, putting testing resources and infrastructure in place to detect and respond to human cases of H5 bird flu.” 

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.