A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the first severe case of the illness in the United States.

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the outbreak of the virus, also known as Type A H5N1.

The detection of bird flu virus this week in a batch of unpasteurized milk sold in California underscores what health experts say are the known and potential risks of the products.

A Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu in what is the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows.

Health officials across five states have linked 178 virus cases to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Public health officials sounded the alarm for months, complaining that they did not have enough support or money to get COVID-19 vaccines quickly into arms. Such complaints have become a common refrain in a nation where public health officials have been left largely on their own to solve complex problems. Several public health officials and experts say they believe some of the early glitches are smoothing out. Public health officials have warned since the spring that they lacked the staff, money and tools they needed to deploy a vaccine. Rhode Island health officials said it can take up to seven days to get doses out to people once they are received.

In this image provided by Public Health Emergency, a department of Health and Human Services, Rick Bright is shown in his official photo on April 27, 2017, in Washington. Bright has been named by President-elect Joe Biden as a member of his COVID-19 advisory board. (Health and Human Services via AP)WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):7:25 a.m.President-elect Joe Biden has announced the members of his coronavirus task force, which will put together a blueprint for fighting the pandemic. The co-chairs are former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Food Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. David Kessler and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a Yale University professor and researcher. Notable among the task force members is Rick Bright, a vaccine expert and former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

Newly confirmed infections per day are rising in 47 states, and deaths are up in 34. Health experts had warned that it was only a matter of time before deaths turned upward, given the record-breaking surge in cases engulfing the country. Deaths are a lagging indicator — that is, it generally takes a few weeks for people to sicken and die from the coronavirus. The virus is blamed for more than 8.6 million confirmed infections and over 225,000 deaths in the U.S., the highest such totals in the world. Deaths are still well below the U.S. peak of over 2,200 per day in late April.