Bird Flu Triggers State of Emergency In California

There's growing concern over bird flu in America.  On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to streamline the state’s response to H5N1.  This action comes as cases were detected in dairy cows on farms in Southern California.

Dr. Amira Roess, Professor of epidemiology at George Mason University, told CBS TV in Sacramento the strain that's circulating right has typically presented with very minor symptoms.  But do people need to be worried?

“I would say you don't need to worry about this if we're doing a good job with surveillance and if we're putting our resources where they need to be.”

California says it is now investigating a pair of possible cases of bird flu in cats that were given recalled raw milk.  Humans have been warned to stay away from raw milk and to only drink pasteurized milk.  The process kills the virus. 

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