Bird flu is declared a State of Emergency in California

On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to streamline the state’s response to avian flu. More than half of the human cases in the U.S. so far have been in California.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

This week, California declared a state of emergency for bird flu. Thirty-six people in this state have tested positive, and the virus has also been found in 600 cattle herds. Both of those figures are the highest in the country. Now, the virus is not yet spreading from person to person, but officials are concerned that the more people it infects, the more opportunities it has to evolve. State officials held a press conference today, and Kerry Klein of member station KVPR tuned in. Hi, Kerry.

KERRY KLEIN, BYLINE: Hi there.

CHANG: OK, so before this declaration came down, I know that you had been reporting quite a bit on containment efforts in the part of the state where most of the dairy farms are, right? What has that been looking like?

KLEIN: Yeah. Well, so for one thing, the state and county governments have handed out more than 4 million pieces of personal protective equipment, or PPE – things like gloves, masks, face shields. Officials believe this virus is primarily spreading through contaminated milk. So this equipment is important to keep dairy workers protected. It’s also important for poultry workers. And health officials are also trying to boost testing. They’ve trained clinics to ask about exposure to animals when people report these symptoms. But there have been challenges – for instance, getting people to get tested. Worker advocates I’ve spoken with say a lot of workers just don’t know much about the virus and its risks. And Elizabeth Strater of the United Farm Workers Union says there are likely more cases out there that are being counted.

ELIZABETH STRATER: We’ve heard from farm workers and community members and veterinarians that symptomatic workers are clearly still working.

KLEIN: She says farm workers just aren’t incentivized to get tested if it could mean lost work and lost pay while they isolate. And other public health officials have agreed there’s likely been an undercount of cases.

CHANG: OK, well, at this press conference today, did state officials provide more details on what their emergency declaration means exactly?

KLEIN: Well, very generally, this emergency declaration is to help direct money and staff toward containing the virus and preventing more cases, but a lot of questions still remain. So, for instance, the public health and agriculture officials who led the press conference didn’t answer questions about how much funding is available to meet these goals. They did, however, say that the declaration could increase staffing and expand work hours for some agencies and departments that are responding to the outbreak. And when I asked if they’d fund more paid sick leave for farm workers, they responded that other things are priorities for right now.

CHANG: Well, what’s been the reaction from health experts to the emergency declaration?

KLEIN: Well, even though details have been scant, a few people have shared optimism about it. One is Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. He’s an infectious disease specialist at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. He said this move by the state should help draw attention to this virus. And as time goes on, he said he’s hoping the state will commit to a few specific efforts, like more incentives to test, like that funding for additional paid sick leave. And he wants to see more targeted outreach to farm workers, say, from trusted sources, not just government agencies, and contingency plans in case the virus does start spreading between people.

CHANG: Yeah. And I guess then the big question on everyone’s mind is, is there anything people here in California and all around the country – anything we should do to stay safe?

KLEIN: Well, first, health officials advise people to not drink raw cow’s milk. It hasn’t been pasteurized. And so if it comes from infected cows, the virus could still be live and infectious. Don’t touch dead birds. Don’t let your pets touch dead birds. And if you see them in the wild, report them to wildlife authorities.

CHANG: That is KVPR’s Kerry Klein. Thank you, Kerry.

KLEIN: Thank you so much.

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