Egg prices spike amid bird flu outbreaks at U.S. farms

(Gray News) - The cost of groceries continues to rise these days, and the price of eggs is also going up.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bird flu has affected 24 states and more than 46 million birds in the U.S. as of April 5.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is described by health officials as a highly contagious and deadly virus that affects chickens, turkeys and wild birds. It has been hitting farms hard across the country.

According to the Associated Press, Iowa is the nation’s leading egg producer, and bird flu has infected several farms in that area, forcing the killing of 5.3 million hens and 88,000 turkeys.

According to the USDA, the average cost of a dozen eggs is currently $2.88 per dozen at supermarkets, up 52% since earlier this year.

The agency reports eggs are expected to be more in demand with the upcoming Easter holiday, but suppliers are not expected to run out of product.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the bird flu usually does not infect people and rare cases of human infection when it comes to the virus have been reported.