If you plan on being busy in the kitchen this holiday week, the price of eggs may catch you off guard.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a dozen of grade-A eggs now cost $3.65 on average. That price is up from $2.52 at the beginning of the year.
Experts tell The New York Times that the avian bird flu is the major cause of the price increase. The outbreak has wiped out flocks of egg-laying hens, causing wholesale prices to jump.
While cases of the virus in humans remain rare, the virus is increasingly being found on poultry and cattle farms. Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over bird flu infection in cattle herds in the state.
To date, there have been 64 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the U.S., but no human-to-human transmission. Most of the cases have resulted in mild symptoms for patients in the U.S. and a full recovery.
However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that a person in Louisiana is the first to be hospitalized with a severe case of bird flu, and also the first to be infected from exposure to sick birds in a residential setting.
