Canadian officials monitoring U.S. avian flu outbreak [Video]

The first severe case of avian flu has been recorded in the United States and the state of California has now declared a state of emergency.

Thirty-four people have contracted the virus in California and the disease continues to multiply through the state’s dairy cattle.

It comes after a B.C. teen was infected with the virus last month. Health officials here have concluded their investigation and are still unsure where the teen contracted the virus.

A person in Louisiana is in critical condition after contracting the virus from exposure to sick and dead birds in a backyard flock.

The Louisiana patient is over age 65 and has underlying health conditions. The B.C. teen had no contact with livestock.

Isaac Bogoch is an infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital. He told CTV News officials are monitoring the disease closely.

“It’s been tracked for just over 20 years,” he said. “The …