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A person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with bird flu — the country’s first severe human H5N1 infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The patient is experiencing severe respiratory illness related to H5N1 infection and is currently hospitalized in critical condition,” said Emma Herrock, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Health Department. (Bush, 12/18)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency to boost the state’s response to the avian flu, which has infected more than 600 dairy herds and 34 people in the state amid a national outbreak that began in the spring. The proclamation gives state and local agencies additional flexibility on staffing, contracting and other rules to support the H5N1 response, according to a statement from the governor’s office. (Ho, 12/18)

Wisconsin has identified its first human case of the bird flu. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Wednesday that it had detected presumptive positive human case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A, or H5N1 in Barron County. ... The Wisconsin DHS said the human case followed an infected flock of commercial poultry in the same county. The person who contracted the disease had contact with the flock. (Harrington, Moniuszko and Padilla, 12/18)

For influenza viruses, imperfection is a strength. They constantly mutate, producing new strains that challenge immune systems primed to fight earlier varieties. That’s what makes flu a life-long threat to humans and the animal species — mainly birds — that are vulnerable to it. Since 2020, a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza called H5N1 has been decimating both wild and domestic birds. Now it’s spreading among US dairy cows, and has infected dozens of people, mainly US farmworkers exposed to sick cattle and poultry. (Griffin, Peng, and Smith, 12/18)

Experts believe three more cats in Los Angeles County have been infected with H5N1 bird flu. Two others succumbed to the disease earlier this month after drinking recalled raw milk from Fresno-based Raw Farm LLC dairies. Of the three new sick cats, two died and one tested positive for influenza A, an unusual finding in domestic cats that haven’t been exposed to infected birds or contaminated dairy products. (Rust, 12/18)

Three men sought help at clinics or emergency rooms in Los Angeles County over a three-month period this year, each reporting severe diarrhea and a recent history of sexual contact with other men. Stool cultures revealed that all three were infected with Shigella sonnei, a strain of Shigella bacteria that is resistant to five of the antibiotic classes most commonly prescribed for such infections. But upon further analysis, the UCLA researchers analyzing the samples realized they were looking at something altogether new. (Purtill, 12/18)

A San Francisco seafood company issued an “urgent product recall” for oysters after they were linked to potential norovirus contamination. S&M Shellfish Co. sold the affected oysters under the brand names Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay and Royal Miyagi. They were harvested from British Columbia between Dec. 1 and Dec. 9, and distributed to restaurants and retailers across several U.S. states, including California, New York and Florida. (Vaziri, 12/18)

National guidelines recommend the use of antiviral drugs in children diagnosed with influenza, but only 30% of children and adolescents at higher risk for influenza complications were prescribed antivirals during outpatient visits, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (Soucheray, 12/18)