Bird Flu Poses Risk to Economy, Egg Prices

The spread of bird flu has posed an immediate risk to the economy and price of goods.

The bird flu, previously virtually non-existent in the United States, remained endemic in isolated areas across the country. Now, it has re-surfaced to some of the highest levels ever seen in recent history, spreading to hundreds-of-thousands of birds, like chickens, all across the nation.

Even worse, the virus has started to be spread to human holders of poultry, causing many severe cases of the flu without many treatment options available like a vaccine.

This has caused a massive spike in prices of goods, like eggs and poultry. For instance, the price of eggs surpassed $10 a dozen in many areas across the United States, up from around $5 pre-flu. This has put a heavy strain on consumers, especially lower-income consumers, who may no longer be able to afford these commodities.