Overcast and Windy 40°
Tag:

Avian Influenza

Business
These Foods Expected To See Biggest Price Increases This Year, USDA Says These Foods Expected To See Biggest Price Increases This Year, USDA Says
These Foods Expected To See Biggest Price Increases This Year, USDA Says As consumers navigate the aisles in 2025, the cost of food remains a pressing concern.  The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its 2025 Food Price Outlook, forecasting trends that will shape grocery store receipts and restaurant bills in the months ahead. What’s Ahead for Food Prices? According to the USDA, overall food prices are expected to rise by 2.2 percent in 2025. While this is comparable to 2024’s rate, it remains slower than the historical average. However, variations in price changes across different food categories could impact consumer spending habits. Groce…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Live Bird Markets Shut Down In Nassau County To Stop Avian Flu Spread Live Bird Markets Shut Down In Nassau County To Stop Avian Flu Spread
Live Bird Markets Shut Down In Nassau County To Stop Avian Flu Spread New York officials are taking aggressive action to stop the spread of bird flu. An order issued by the Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) on Friday, Feb. 7, directed live bird markets in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties to close for five days, Gov. Hochul’s office said. The emergency measure comes after health officials confirmed that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)–or bird flu–has been detected at seven live bird markets in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx since Friday, Jan. 31. Outbreaks have also been confirmed in Suffolk and Ulster counties, as D…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
Business
Popular Restaurant Chain To Place Surcharge On Each Egg Sold: Here's How Much Popular Restaurant Chain To Place Surcharge On Each Egg Sold: Here's How Much
Popular Restaurant Chain To Place Surcharge On Each Egg Sold: Here's How Much A well-known restaurant chain is making a change that may leave customers scrambling. Regulars stopping in for their usual orders at Waffle House will soon notice a small but significant addition to their bill. Waffle House, known for its affordable, around-the-clock breakfast offerings, is implementing a 50-cent surcharge per egg due to skyrocketing egg prices caused by an ongoing avian influenza outbreak.  The surcharge, which applies to all egg-based menu items, is what it calls a temporary measure as the chain navigates higher costs. “Customers and restaurants are being…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Business
Supermarkets Running Out Of Eggs As Anger, Frustration Among Americans Mounts Supermarkets Running Out Of Eggs As Anger, Frustration Among Americans Mounts
Supermarkets Running Out Of Eggs As Anger, Frustration Among Americans Mounts Egg shortages driven by a devastating outbreak of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, have now resulted in some supermarkets running out of this beloved staple. In various grocery stores across the country, customers have encountered shelves with limited or no egg cartons available.  Customers who do find cartons available are getting sticker shock, with a dozen eggs priced as high as $15 at some stores. Some supermarkets have started setting limits on the number of cartons that may be purchased. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of a d…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Bird Flu Outbreak Kills Dozens Of Chickens, Ducks At NY Farm; 2nd In State This Month Bird Flu Outbreak Kills Dozens Of Chickens, Ducks At NY Farm; 2nd In State This Month
Bird Flu Outbreak Kills Dozens Of Chickens, Ducks At NY Farm; 2nd In State This Month Health officials are working to contain an outbreak of bird flu at a Hudson Valley farm, the second such outbreak in New York this month. The disease – highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1, or bird flu – was confirmed at a farm within Ulster County, the county health department confirmed to Daily Voice. Authorities did not name the impacted farm, but noted that around 48 of 50 ducks and chickens died from infection. Two others were euthanized. The farm’s owners and a veterinarian are the only people believed to have had contact with the infected birds, health officials said. News of th…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
Rare Strain Of Bird Flu Discovered As Egg Prices Soar, Hundreds Of Thousands Of Fowls Killed Rare Strain Of Bird Flu Discovered As Egg Prices Soar, Hundreds Of Thousands Of Fowls Killed
Rare Strain Of Bird Flu Discovered As Egg Prices Soar, Hundreds Of Thousands Of Fowls Killed The detection of a different more rare strain of avian influenza is raising alarm as record egg prices soar to new highs. A farm in California where the new H5N9 strain was detected had to kill 119,000 birds after the more common H5N1 strain had been detected earlier. In New York, a farm on Long Island culled 100,000 ducks after a bird flu outbreak. “Whether this novel H5N9 virus will cause human infections from its avian host and become a pandemic subtype is not known yet,” the US National Library of Medicine said. “It is therefore imperative to assess the risk of emergence of t…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Business
Record-High Egg Prices Likely To See New Increases: What To Know Record-High Egg Prices Likely To See New Increases: What To Know
Record-High Egg Prices Likely To See New Increases: What To Know Across the country, grocery shoppers are facing sticker shock and empty shelves as egg prices continue to skyrocket.  Once an affordable staple, eggs have become increasingly expension -- and sometimes, even difficult to find — and the situation is only expected to worsen. The surge in egg prices is being driven by a combination of inflation and a devastating outbreak of avian influenza, better known as bird flu. The H5N1 virus, which made its way to the United States in 2022, has infected or killed millions of birds and infected many other animals In just the last three months, more…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
First US Human Death From Bird Flu Reported First US Human Death From Bird Flu Reported
First US Human Death From Bird Flu Reported Authorities have confirmed the first human death in the United States caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1.  The announcement was made by the Louisiana Department of Health on Monday, Jan. 6.  Earlier Report: First Severe Bird Flu Case Confirmed In US The patient, a man over 65 with underlying health conditions, was hospitalized before succumbing to the illness after exposure to a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds. The Louisiana Department of Health said it has conducted a public health investigation and found no additional cases or …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
First Severe Bird Flu Case Confirmed In US First Severe Bird Flu Case Confirmed In US
First Severe Bird Flu Case Confirmed In US Health officials have confirmed the first severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made the announcement on Wednesday, Dec. 18 saying the infection was diagnosed on Friday, Dec. 13, following contact the patient made with sick and dead birds from a backyard flock. The case was reported in Louisiana and marks the first H5N1 case in the US linked to exposure to backyard poultry.  Since April 2024, there have been a total of 61 reported human cases of H5 bird flu reported in the United States. H5 is generally less severe than…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Feds Issue Order For National Milk Testing To Monitor Bird Flu Feds Issue Order For National Milk Testing To Monitor Bird Flu
Feds Issue Order For National Milk Testing To Monitor Bird Flu The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is stepping up efforts to monitor avian influenza (better known as bird flu) with a new federal order mandating national testing of raw milk for the H5N1 virus. The order requires all producers of raw, unpasteurized milk across the US to provide samples for testing as part of a broad initiative to prevent the spread of bird flu from potentially infected dairy cattle to humans.  The move follows recent detections of the virus in dairy herds in several states, underscoring the importance of controlling outbreaks at the source. While pas…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Rare Bird Flu Case Confirmed In Child, CDC Says Rare Bird Flu Case Confirmed In Child, CDC Says
Rare Bird Flu Case Confirmed In Child, CDC Says A rare case of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has been confirmed in a child in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The child, who is a resident of California, experienced only mild symptoms and is now recovering. The case, detected through routine flu testing, revealed low levels of the virus in the initial sample, and follow-up tests were negative for bird flu, but positive for other common respiratory viruses.  The CDC is working with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to determine how the child might hav…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Largest Egg Producer In US Halts Production After Bird Flu Found In Chickens Largest Egg Producer In US Halts Production After Bird Flu Found In Chickens
Largest Egg Producer In US Halts Production After Bird Flu Found In Chickens Production has been halted at the largest producer of fresh eggs in the United States after bird flu was discovered in chickens. Cal-Maine Foods reported that one of the company’s facilities located in Parmer County, Texas, tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), resulting in depopulation of approximately 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets, or approximately 3.6 percent of its total flock. "Production at the facility has temporarily ceased as the company follows the protocols prescribed by the USDA," Cal-Maine said in a statement, noting that it is working to s…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Dangerous Strain Of Bird Flu Found In Flock At Downstate NY Home Dangerous Strain Of Bird Flu Found In Flock At Downstate NY Home
Dangerous Strain Of Bird Flu Found In Flock At Downstate NY Home State officials announced that a highly contagious, dangerous strain of bird flu was found in a non-commercial flock on Long Island. Samples collected from a flock of eight birds tested positive for highly-pathogenic avian influenza, according to an announcement from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on Saturday, Feb. 19. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the disease is serious "and requires rapid response because it is highly contagious and often fatal to chickens." The samples were tested at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnost…

SHARE

by Nicole Valinote