California authorities have declared a state of emergency after more than 300 dairy herds tested positive for a type of bird flu in the last 30 days.
California has become the epicenter for the nation’s outbreak, and fears are rising that another pandemic could be on the horizon after an elderly man became severely infected with the disease.
The man is the first and only human case of a type of bird flu, not associated with cattle, documented so far.
In a statement, California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need.”
“While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus,” he added.
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Currently, there is no evidence that the disease is spreading among humans in California, or anywhere else in the country but experts are warning that the uncontrolled spread of another similar virus among dairy cows increases the risk that the disease could spill over into the human population.
There are also concerns that the virus may mutate.
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First human case
On Dec. 18, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the first human case of bird flu, H5N1, in a Louisiana man who, after being exposed to sick and dead birds, was hospitalized.
This case was discovered following routine flu surveillance and was later confirmed by the CDC with the CDC insisting that the risk to the general public remains low.
After genetic sequencing it was discovered that the H5N1 virus was responsible for the man’s sickness and the virus’s genetic lineage was confirmed to be circulating in wild birds and backyard poultry, not among dairy cows.
This single case is different from the virus that has infected at least 60 people in the country, most of whom have been working directly with dairy cows.
The illness linked to dairy cows has so far only led to mild illnesses in people.
The single severe case is due to the D1.1 genotype, a virus that first appeared in poultry workers in Washington state in October. People infected with this virus presented with mild symptoms.
Another case was discovered in a teenager in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Canadian authorities have been unable to determine how the teenager became infected.
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History of severe illness
Despite the low risk to the general public, the authorities remain on high alert due to a history of severe illness due to bird flu in other countries.
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who works with the CDC, told reporters during a press call that the center is doing additional sequencing to help identify any changes in the virus that could cause concern.
Experts say that the single case in Canada exhibited alarming mutations that could make humans more susceptible to the virus.
Daskaalakis told reporters to approach Louisiana authorities to determine how the one man contracted the disease.
Most cases can be traced back to an infected animal, either a dairy cow or infected bird and most people infected with either virus have come in direct contact with an infected animal.
However, authorities are concerned after several other cases that have popped up in the U.S. cannot be traced back to an infected animal, including cases in California and Missouri.
“Infections without a clear source of exposure do occur, neither these cases nor the cases with known animal or animal products exposure have resulted in human to human transmission,” said Daskalakis.
