Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday as the H5N1 bird flu virus moved from the Central Valley to Southern California dairy herds, while federal officials confirmed the first U.S.

Health officials in the most populous state in the country have seen where the bird flu story appears to be heading, and they’re determined to stay ahead of it. Whether the rest of the nation is willing to follow suit remains to be seen.

There have been more than 60 human cases of bird flu in the U.S. since an outbreak began in April, but this marks the first severe case of the illness in humans.