{"id":18612,"date":"2024-12-18T22:32:56","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T23:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=18612"},"modified":"2024-12-19T00:25:43","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T00:25:43","slug":"what-to-know-about-bird-flu-risk-after-californias-emergency-declaration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=18612","title":{"rendered":"What to Know About Bird Flu Risk After California\u2019s Emergency Declaration"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">California has declared a state of emergency over the virus. We asked experts how concerned they are.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">California <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/18\/health\/bird-flu-emergency-california.html\" title>has declared<\/a> a state of emergency over the outbreak of bird flu among dairy cows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">H5N1, the virus that causes avian influenza, has been found in 645 dairies in California since August. Infected herds have also been identified in 15 other states. Here\u2019s what we know, and don\u2019t know, about the risk to human health right now.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-1u37br4 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-3b6eaeba\">Does this mean I need to worry about bird flu now?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said in a statement that the declaration was \u201ca targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reiterated on Wednesday that <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/media\/releases\/2024\/m1218-h5n1-flu.html\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">H5N1 bird flu poses a low risk<\/a> to the public\u2019s health overall. And Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, agreed with that assessment. The main concern in California, he said, is the rapid spread of the virus between dairy farms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, some people are at higher risk of infection because they are exposed to animals that spread the virus. People who work closely with animals, like dairy farm workers, are particularly susceptible and should wear personal protective equipment like masks, gloves and safety goggles, said Stacey L. Schultz-Cherry, a virologist and influenza expert at St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There have been 61 human cases of bird flu reported in the United States so far this year, including 37 cases linked to exposure to infected cattle. The majority of these patients have had mild disease, with symptoms including pink eye, fever and muscle ache.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Wednesday, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/media\/releases\/2024\/m1218-h5n1-flu.html\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the C.D.C. confirmed the first severe case<\/a> of H5N1 bird flu in the country: a patient in Louisiana, who was hospitalized after being exposed to backyard flocks. The patient was infected with a version of the virus that has been found in birds, not the one that is spreading in cows.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171d1bw\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fwell%2Fbird-flu-health-risks.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fwell%2Fbird-flu-health-risks.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fwell%2Fbird-flu-health-risks.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fwell%2Fbird-flu-health-risks.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California has declared a state of emergency over the virus. We asked experts how concerned they are.California has declared a state of emergency over the outbreak of bird flu among dairy cows.H5N1, the virus that causes avian influenza, has been found in 645 dairies in California since August. Infected herds have also been identified in 15 other states. Here\u2019s what we know, and don\u2019t know, about the risk to human health right now.Does this mean I need to worry about bird flu now?Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said in a statement that the declaration was \u201ca targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak.\u201dThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reiterated on Wednesday that H5N1 bird flu poses a low risk to the public\u2019s health overall. And Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, agreed with that assessment. The main concern in California, he said, is the rapid spread of the virus between dairy farms.Still, some people are at higher risk of infection because they are exposed to animals that spread the virus. People who work closely with animals, like dairy farm workers, are particularly susceptible and should wear personal protective equipment like masks, gloves and safety goggles, said Stacey L. Schultz-Cherry, a virologist and influenza expert at St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital.There have been 61 human cases of bird flu reported in the United States so far this year, including 37 cases linked to exposure to infected cattle. The majority of these patients have had mild disease, with symptoms including pink eye, fever and muscle ache.On Wednesday, the C.D.C. confirmed the first severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the country: a patient in Louisiana, who was hospitalized after being exposed to backyard flocks. The patient was infected with a version of the virus that has been found in birds, not the one that is spreading in cows.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18614,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18612"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18615,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18612\/revisions\/18615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}