A new bill could require California to monitor wastewater for disease in the Central Valley

State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) is frustrated by the deficiency of wastewater monitoring for H5N1 vertebrate flu successful the state’s astir astatine hazard communities: regions of the Central Valley wherever dairy workers, dairy herds and commercialized poultry operations are astir concentrated.

On Tuesday, she introduced a measure to hole that. Called the Wastewater Surveillance Act, if passed, it would necessitate astatine slightest 1 wastewater monitoring tract successful each California county. The measure would necessitate the state’s section of nationalist wellness to grow its existent wastewater network, known arsenic Cal-SuWers, to see each counties “and prioritize underserved and high-risk areas.”

California is crushed zero for the H5N1 vertebrate flu microorganism successful dairy cattle and dairy workers. Since the microorganism was archetypal reported successful dairy herds successful March 2024, California has accounted for 77% of each U.S. dairy herd infections and 38 of the nation’s 68 quality cases.

Hurtado has said her begetter and niece were some sickened past summertime by an chartless respiratory virus. She said they unrecorded successful the Central Valley adjacent poultry and dairy operations — but they were not tested for H5N1.

The Central Valley, wherever the bulk of California dairy herds are located, has been halfway of the outbreak. However, erstwhile it comes to wastewater surveillance — which wellness officials usage to alert them to the beingness and attraction of pathogens, specified arsenic H5N1, seasonal influenza, COVID-19 and norovirus — little is being done successful this country of the authorities to show for the virus.

In fact, it’s nonexistent successful immoderate of the counties astir astatine risk, including Tulare and Kings.

In California, wellness officials accidental they are monitoring 78 sites successful 36 counties for a scope of viruses; successful each but 2 sites they accidental they are looking for vertebrate flu.

“We person a vertebrate flu outbreak. It’s moving amok among dairy cattle and herds which are mostly successful the Central Valley,” said Hurtado. “And close present we don’t person immoderate discarded monitor, wastewater monitoring going connected there. This instrumentality would alteration that.”