Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an emergency order mobilizing all government efforts to fight bird flu.
Newsom posted the order on social media Wednesday, explaining that a strain of influenza had been detected in dairy cows at a farm in Southern California. The bird flu strain was the first. detected It started in Texas and Kansas in March, but has since spread to dairy cows in at least 16 states.
One of the goals of the state's “interagency comprehensive response” was to reduce contamination of raw dairy products.
“This declaration is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to quickly respond to this outbreak.” Newsom said.
“Building on California’s testing and surveillance system, the largest in the nation, we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting the agricultural industry, and ensuring Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information.” he added. “While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”
The governor's office acknowledged that while 34 cases of avian influenza have been detected in humans in California, there have been no cases of human-to-human transmission of avian influenza. A total of 61 human avian influenza infections were detected in 16 states.
One of the goals of the state's “interagency response” was to reduce contamination of raw dairy products.
In May, investigative journalist Eric Schlosser told Bill Maher on his show that the next pandemic could come from large dairy farms in Texas spreading avian influenza. Schlosser argued that food industry lobbying is irresponsibly restricting inspections at food production plants, threatening the safety of the food supply.
Some argue that bird flu will be used by states to violate civil liberties and expand government power.
Also on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Confirmed This is the first case of severe bird flu infection in a person in Louisiana. Officials said the incident involved a flock of backyard birds, not a dairy farm.
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