Public health officials have just reported the first known “severe” case of bird flu in the United States. There are now 61 confirmed cases across eight states. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that a person had been hospitalized with a “severe case” of bird flu.

The ongoing bird flu outbreak in the U.S. just got a bit more concerning: a person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with the first severe case of infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The CDC confirms the country's first severe human case of bird flu in Louisiana, while California declares a state of emergency as the virus spreads to dairy herds.