Bird Flu Outbreak In California: Deadly H5N1 Virus Ravages Through US, CDC Warns Against Ignoring Symptoms

Deadly bird flu found in California elephant seals for the first time: H5N1 bird flu confirmed in California elephant seals for the first time, bringing the same virus that killed more than 17,000 in South America.

Bird Flu Virus Outbreak In California: After battling COVID-19 virus infection for over 7 years, the world is now in the grip of many other pandemic potential viruses. Out of these, the one that's driving maximum number of cases globally is H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu or avian influenza. In the latest outbreak, the Centre of Diseases and Control (CDC) has reported a sudden surge in bird flu cases across California, prompting officials to reinforce pandemic-like safety measures.

The H5N1 bird flu virus that devastated South American elephant seal populations has been confirmed in seals at California's A o Nuevo State Park, researchers from UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz announced Wednesday.

"California's A o Nuevo State Park and several more are showing signs of the illness. The outbreak has prompted park officials to cancel the park's popular seal-watching tours for the remainder of the seal breeding season," officials told the media.

Talking about the outbreak, the officials studying the cases revealed that this is the first detected outbreak of the virus among marine mammals in California.

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Researchers with University of California-Santa Cruz and University of California-Davis made the announcement Wednesday, calling it the first detected outbreak of the virus among marine mammals in California.

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The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths of millions of domesticated birds and spread to wildlife around the world, and seals and sea lions appear to be particularly vulnerable to the disease. The virus has led to the deaths of thousands of sea lions in Chile and Peru, thousands of elephant seals in Argentina, and hundreds of seals in New England in recent years.

The virus is considered to be a low risk to humans, but officials said people should avoid approaching the seals and keep pets away from the animals.

Thousands of elephant seals come to A o Nuevo State Park, about 90 minutes south of San Francisco, every winter to fight, mate and give birth. The annual spectacle draws tourists and wildlife watchers eager to see the largest seals on the planet, some watching from public viewing areas and others signing up for docent-led guided walks through the breeding grounds, known as rookeries.

But for now, the viewing area is closed, and tours at A o Nuevo have been canceled "out of an abundance of caution," said Jordan Burgess, the deputy district superintendent of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Officials hope the move will help prevent any spread of the disease that might be caused by people tracking through the areas where the elephant seals are living, she said.

"We're definitely not panicking about human exposure at this point," but rather trying to ensure the health of the seals and people in general, Burgess said.

Christine Johnson, the director of the Institute for Pandemic Insights at UC Davis' Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, said the outbreak was spotted quickly because researchers have been on high alert in recent years, watching for any sign of the arrival of the disease. After sick and dead animals were spotted on Feb. 19 and 20, researchers collected samples for testing at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System. The screening showed the animals were infected with HPAI H5N1 virus.

In the recent times, several countries have reported a sudden spike in Avian Influenza cases, among these the ones noticing a significant surge includes India.

According to the reports, several pockets in India have reported deaths of crowd, birds and animals - mostly linked to H5N1 virus strains.

The virus is considered to be a low risk to humans, but officials said people should avoid approaching the seals and keep pets away from the animals.

What Is Bird Flu or H5N1 Virus?

Bird flu infection also known by the name Avian Influenza is a zoonotic disease that spreads in birds, cows and other animals. It can sometimes spread to people. In humans, H5 subtypes of influenza A are the most common cause. It can cause mild to severe respiratory symptoms and pink eye. People who work with poultry, waterfowl and dairy cows are most at risk.

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