Governor Newsom Proclaims a State of Emergency in California as Bird Flu Spreads to Southern California Dairies
California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a statewide State of Emergency in Sacramento on December 18 to streamline and expedite the state's response to Avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as bird flu. The proclamation followed the detection of bird flu in dairy cows at Southern California farms, prompting the state to shift from regional containment to statewide monitoring and response.
According to the Governor's Office and the emergency proclamation signed the same day, the virus has spread among dairy cattle in 16 states, following its first confirmed detection in Texas and Kansas in March 2024. California confirmed its first case in a Central California dairy cow on August 30, 2024; between August 30 and early December, 641 dairies across nine Central California counties confirmed positive tests. On December 12, dairy cows at four Southern California dairies tested positive, the immediate development behind the statewide proclamation. Issued under the California Emergency Services Act, in particular Government Code section 8625, the proclamation gives state and local agencies additional flexibility around staffing, contracting and other rules.
The Governor's Office said that, to date, no person-to-person spread of bird flu had been detected in California and nearly all infected individuals had exposure to infected cattle. Nationwide, 61 confirmed human cases had been reported across seven states, including 34 in California. California has established the largest testing and monitoring system in the nation to respond to the outbreak.
Newsom said the proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to the outbreak, adding that, building on California's testing and monitoring system, the state is committed to further protecting public health, supporting the agriculture industry and ensuring Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information, and that while the risk to the public remains low, the state will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus.
State officials said the California Department of Public Health, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and other agencies are mounting a cross-agency response at dairy and poultry farms, including distributing millions of pieces of personal protective equipment to high-risk dairy workers, providing additional seasonal flu vaccine doses to agriculture workers, and coordinating surveillance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Source: Office of the Governor of California)
Source: Office of the Governor of California
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加利福尼亚州一家奶牛场内，饲料车为奶牛投喂饲料。美国农业部自然资源保护局供图，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A feed truck delivers feed to dairy cows at a California dairy farm. Photo courtesy of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
