California declared an emergency over bird flu. How serious is the situation?

AP Health Writer

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. It was detected for the first time in cattle in the U.S. in March. It has spread to more than 860 herds in 16 states, with at least 650 infected in California. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed again this week that the virus poses low risk to the general public.