State of Emergency Declared in California Over Bird Flu Outbreak in Cattle

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday amid reports of bird flu infecting 645 dairies.

The Details: H5N1, often called bird flu or avian influenza, has been detected in 645 Californian dairies following the first reported case in August. Newsom said the declaration is an “action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility” to respond to the outbreak quickly.

For Context: First detected in the U.S. in 2022, H5N1 has since spread to poultry, wild birds, and cattle across 16 states. There have also been 61 human cases across the country, 31 of which were in California. The CDC also confirmed Wednesday the first known “severe case” in the U.S. leading to a person in Louisiana being hospitalized. The CDC also said person-to-person transmission has yet to be detected. There are also reports of cats dying after consuming infected raw milk, as well as zoo animals contracting the virus.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the left like the New York Times (Lean Left bias) included an international perspective in their news coverage, saying experts at the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) “have faulted the U.S. response to the outbreak.” Outlets on the right such as Fox News (Right bias) tended to be more straightforward in their coverage, not including any mention of the W.H.O.