H5N1 bird flu has been making headlines sporadically throughout 2024, fueling fears of another, deadlier, COVID-style pandemic. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced the first severe human case of the virus in the U.S.

The health agency confirmed on Dec. 13 that a Louisiana resident had been infected with the virus, resulting in his hospitalization.

Although there have been 61 confirmed human cases of the virus in the U.S. since April, this is the first that has resulted in severe illness.

Health officials believe that the Louisiana patient was infected after exposure to a backyard flock of sick and dead chickens carrying the virus.

Bird flu can jump from sick fowl to humans, but the CDC assured Americans that they have still seen no evidence of human-to-human transmission that could result in a nationwide or global pandemic.

“No person-to-person spread of H5 bird flu has been detected. This case does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate risk to the public’s health from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low,” said the CDC.

Since the COVID pandemic and the draconian response from governments and health officials, large swaths of the public have lost faith in the CDC’s honesty.

The Louisiana patient is infected with the D1.1 strain of the virus, which is responsible for infections in poultry, wild birds, and other humans in Canada and the U.S.

That strain is distinct from the B3.13 strain, responsible for infections in dairy cows, as well as in poultry and other humans.

Despite the distinction, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) used the CDC announcement to declare a state of emergency due to an outbreak of the B3.1.3 strain in dairy cows and poultry across the state.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak. Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health,” said Gov. Newsom.

The state of emergency is currently set to help the state provide aid and equipment to workers at infected dairies and farms, as well as conduct surveillance of potential cases.

Newsom has, in the past, used emergency declarations to impose unilateral mandates and temporarily suspend the civil rights of Californians.