Colorado governor extends avian flu emergency declaration in Weld County

On July 5, Colorado's governor declared an emergency declaration in Weld County to unlock resources for containing an outbreak of the avian flu (H5N1) among animals at poultry and dairy farms. Colorado has had the highest number of reported cases with at least 50 detections, according to Gov. Jared Polis. Polis' new emergency declaration extension now goes through Sept. 1.

Unlike other outbreaks, since March, the virus is now spreading from farm to farm instead of from wild birds.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there have been bird flu outbreaks confirmed in at least 152 cattle herds so far this year. Since late July, the department says 10 people have had confirmed cases of the bird flu. The outbreak is coming from two separate egg laying facilities and one commercial facility in Weld County, impacting around 3.5 million infected birds.

The World Health Organization considers this a threat to public health because it has the potential to cause another pandemic.

"Right now, we're hoping to contain these things to very small areas so it does not become a systemic human infection that we have to risk all the time," said Dr. Eric Hill, a emergency physician at the Medical Center of Aurora.

But the bird flu and influenza symptoms look eerily similar. Dr. Hill says, "The symptoms would look identical. Really, what makes a difference is how you diagnose avian flu is [get a] sample from the person and do an analysis of the virus to see what variant caused it."

And although public health officials are certainly trying to contain outbreaks, "I wouldn't be overly alarmed any time I have flu symptoms that I need to be worried that I have a bird flu," he assured.

Because these outbreaks have centralized at poultry and cattle farms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has invested at least $10 million to protect workers from the virus. The CDC has partnered with organizations to support education and outreach focusing on farmworkers' health and safety. The agency is also providing seasonal avian flu vaccines for workers and animals.