California declares emergency over bird flu outbreak

Zoom in: The Golden State first detected cases in cattle in August.

• There hasn't been any person-to-person spread of bird flu in California, and nearly all infected individuals had exposure to infected cattle.
• The state of emergency is intended to expand monitoring and to provide state and local agencies resources for their response to mitigate the spread of the virus, the governor's office said in a news release.
• Of the 645 impacted dairies, 56 have recovered and been released from quarantine, the press release said.

What he's saying: "This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak," Newsom said in a statement, adding that the risk to the public remains low.

• "Building on California's testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information," he added.

Zoom out: A person in Louisiana was hospitalized with a severe bird flu infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier Wednesday.

• That marks the nation's first case of severe bird flu resulting in a hospitalization and the first tied to exposure to a backyard flock.

More from Axios:

• CDC reports first severe human case of bird flu in U.S.
• California suspends Raw Farm raw milk products amid bird flu concerns
• What to know about bird flu