The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today reported two more H5 avian influenza infections, both confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), raising the state's total to 15.

However, there is urgent concern over dairy cows. In California’s Central Valley, the carcasses of dead cattle have been piling up, a phenomenon documented in videos taken by a local veterinarian. According to the CDC, there have been confirmed infections in more than 300 herds of cattle in the U.S. in 14 states since March.

Dairy industry experts say the virus entered California after local cows were shipped to another state and then returned to California.

Workers developed symptoms after working with infected poultry. In Washington state, four farm workers contracted avian influenza at an egg production facility previously hit by a virus outbreak. Health authorities are actively managing the situation by testing and protecting exposed individuals,