Governor Newsom Strengthens State Response to Bird Flu

California Governor Newsom has strengthened the state response to bird flu. That virus has sickened animals and some people in sixteen states across the country.

The governor said in a statement, “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. While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”

Bird flu has affected poultry farms, backyard flocks, and wild birds. It has also infected dairy cows, cats, and zoo animals. There have been human illnesses, but those have occurred among people who work with birds. So far, there has been no human to human spread of the virus.

The state is leading a cross-agency response that includes public updates, multilingual  outreach to dairy and poultry workers, targeted social media efforts to promote preventive practices, online and printed resources for the public, and initiating media interviews to keep Californians informed. And the state is making sure that agriculture workers have access to additional doses of seasonal flu vaccine.

Bird flu was first detected in the United States 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 illnesses in dairy cows was first reported in Texas and Kansas, and CDFA took immediate action to monitor for  infections in California herds. Since then, there have been 61 total reported confirmed cases of bird flu infection in humans across seven states, including 34 reported human cases in California.

Raw milk has been recalled in California for potential bird flu contamination. Raw Farm raw milk was recalled in late November for possible contamination. A second lot was added to the recall a few days later, and the recall was expanded to include raw cream. And on December 14, 2024, Valley Milk Simply Bottled raw milk was recalled.

No human illnesses have been linked to the consumption of raw milk. But cats have died in California after drinking Raw Farm raw milk products.