California becomes epicenter of bird flu crisis as more human cases reported

So far, the CDC has confirmed 20 human cases, with more awaiting confirmation

By Elizabeth Hlavinka

Another five suspected human cases of bird flu were reported today in California, where six cases have already been confirmed, according to the California Department of Public Health. The state, which is the country’s largest dairy supplier, has become the epicenter of bird flu in cows and has concerned public health experts since the beginning of the outbreak for this reason.

The people with confirmed infections worked with dairy cattle infected with the H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu, which suggests that the virus has not yet developed the ability to effectively transfer between humans. However, the people with confirmed infections worked at nine different farms across the state, indicating the virus is widespread among herds of cattle.

As of Oct. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had confirmed infections in 299 herds of cattle across 14 states. Additionally, more than 100 million poultry and 10,000 wild birds have been affected, and the virus has been shown to have the ability to transfer from birds to cows and back again, making it more difficult to contain. Each time the virus transfers it also increases the chances it could mutate in some way that could more easily infect humans, posing a pandemic risk on par with COVID-19.

Bird flu is also appearing in other countries across the world. Today, France said the national threat of bird flu increased to “moderate” from “negligible” because it along with several nearby European countries like Germany has reported cases among farm animals. Australia is the only continent that has thus far avoided H5N1 and yesterday invested $96 million in vaccines and increased surveillance in an attempt to keep it that way.