In recent months, there has been a rise in egg prices due to an outbreak of avian flu.
Inflation, the change in prices over a period of time, is measured by the Consumer Product Index, and it can be caused by a lack of supply, higher demand for a product or increased production costs.
There has been inflation in the prices of several commodities, including eggs. Due to the avian flu, over 166 million chickens have died, forcing egg prices to skyrocket to an all-time high of 4.95 dollars per dozen. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that egg prices could jump up 41 percent in 2025.
Avian flu, also known as bird flu, is a type of influenza that is predominantly present in wild bird populations. Bird flu is caused by an infection from the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) virus, which leads to the subject contracting a highly infectious respiratory disease. This infection can be fatal for many birds, with 90 to 100 percent mortality rates recorded in chickens.
Boston Latin School AP Biology teacher Ms. Gina Castellanos Ellsworth explains, “There is a bird flu epidemic and a lot of chicken flocks have had to be killed as a result of being exposed or sick.”
The USDA has announced steps to monitor and limit the spread of bird flu. Three billion dollars have already been allocated to help with the efforts to control bird flu. Government efforts to prevent the spread of bird flu include the testing of birds and workers in contact with poultry, along with the systematic killing and disposal of sick or dead birds.
The USDA has implemented vaccines for chickens and mandated that farms go through biosecurity reviews. The department has done biosecurity reviews on more than 100 farms, with only one of the farms having an outbreak. The government will additionally help pay for 75 percent of the needed biosecurity improvements.
The first cases of bird flu were detected in 1996 in China. This outbreak led to the death of roughly 1.4 million chickens and the hospitalization of 18 people. The H5N1 virus was first detected in wild bird populations in the United States and Canada in late 2021.
Bird flu can spread through contact with infected birds. This can mean direct contact with the infected bird or with its respiratory secretions and feces. Although the H5N1 virus can spread rapidly among bird populations, studies show that the virus does not travel well through air, limiting the possibility of a bird flu pandemic.
Cases in humans are rare, with only 70 reported cases of bird flu in humans in the U.S. Most of the reported cases can be traced back to people who worked with poultry or dairy animals.
When asked how higher egg prices have affected him or his family, Tri Thach (II) shares, “Inflation [causes] us to budget more. Egg-inflation wise, we can still afford eggs, but some families [who have] lower incomes might not.”
Inflation hit seven percent in 2021, the highest change in inflation rate from year to year since 1982. Inflation has cooled down since the pandemic, but is still above the Federal Reserve’s goal of two percent inflation per year.
BLS AP Economics teacher Mr. Patrick Boor reflects, “[Inflation] has been at its highest in the last three years coming out of the pandemic. After the pandemic started shutting down everything, the government instituted a lot of spending in order to get people’s jobs back.”
As the prices of eggs continue to increase, the USDA will explore more options for increasing egg imports and decreasing exports to supplement the domestic supply.
