Gov. Newsom declared a state of emergency as the virus continues to infect dairy herds across the country — including more than 600 in California.

The rising incidence of bird flu in the Central Valley is raising serious concerns for public health and food safety. The detection of the virus in dairy cattle has sparked alarm, as it increases the risk of transmission to other animals and potentially to humans.

The recent bird flu outbreak in the United States has not yet resulted in any positive human tests in Maine, although public health officials are closely monitoring the virus. The virus has swept through populations of poultry and dairy cows and was detected in backyard poultry in York,