Category: Flu Virus

Updated Feb. 21, 2024, to reflect the growing impact of the avian flu outbreak.

After falling for months, egg prices are rising again and could continue that way in 2024 as farmers grapple with another outbreak of bird flu.

The average cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs was $2.52 in January, up slightly from $2.51 in December, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, retrieved from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis' FRED site.

Despite the month-to-month increase, egg prices are nowhere near where they were a year ago. CPI data show egg prices are down 23.8% from December 2022.

BLS data tracking egg prices goes back to at least 1980, when large, Grade A eggs cost $0.88 a dozen, not adjusted for inflation.

Before February 2022, the average cost of a dozen had largely stayed below $2 since March 2016.

The price of eggs more than doubled from the beginning of 2022 until hitting its peak of $4.82 per dozen in January 2023. Since then, prices fell steadily until the fall but still hadnt reached pre-pandemic norms before ticking up again.

So, why did egg costs get so high? The pandemic and inflation play a factor, but they arent the real culprit.

Eggs are so expensive because of a widespread outbreak of H5N1, a highly transmissible and fatal strain of avian influenza, or bird flu. The outbreak started in early 2022 and has grown into the largest bird flu outbreak in U.S. history.

The outbreak reduced the egg supply, while demand remained consistent, leading to higher prices.

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Prices eased as the number of bird flu cases declined in 2023, with no infections reported from May through September.

The relief was relatively short-lived, though. Egg producers reported a resurgence of the virus starting in November 2023. The latest outbreak has claimed 13.64 million egg-laying hens so far, according to the USDAs Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook report released in February.

As a result, prices started to rise again at the end of 2023. The USDA expects prices to continue climbing in 2024.

Theres an egg shortage because the ongoing bird flu outbreak reduced the number of egg-laying chickens. As of Feb. 16, the virus has affected more than 81.9 million birds in the U.S. since January 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the birds affected were egg-laying hens.

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Egg Prices Are Rising Again. Why Are They So Expensive? - NerdWallet

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ACTON, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 05: Rescued chickens gather in an aviary at Farm Sanctuarys Southern California Sanctuary on October 5, 2022 in Acton, California. A wave of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu has now entered Southern California as the fall bird migration sets in, raising concerns for wild birds and poultry farms in the region. Farm Sanctuary is home to rescued chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs and other farm animals. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Theres a nasty virus spreading through the U.S.Were not talking about COVID and were not even talking about humans. Avian influenza or bird flu has affected millions of birds across the country, including here in California. And in the Central Valley, farmers have been set back months due to the loss of flock and eggs. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR

The push for California to provide reparations for Black Californians is taking shape at the state capitol. Members of the legislatures Black Caucus have chosen 14 reparations bills to prioritize this year. Those range from a formal apology on behalf of California lawmakers who supported slavery, to limits on solitary confinement in state prisons. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

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Massive Bird Flu Outbreak Severely Impacting Farms In Central Valley - KQED

Flu levels remain elevated, with increases in half of US regions, as COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) levels stayed on downward trends, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly updates.

Though the national test positivity declined a bit, to 14.8% of respiratory virus samples, the percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness held steady at 4.5%, the CDC said in its weekly FluView update.

Regional patterns, though, show a mixed picture, with five regionsthe Northeast, New England, the Middle Atlantic, the Midwest, and the Central statesexperiencing increased activity last week. Test positivity also varied by region, with higher levels in the Northeast, Middle Atlantic, and Central regions.

Influenza B activity, which often rises in the later flu season months, stayed level last week. Of respiratory samples that tested positive for flu at public health labs last week, 71.7% were influenza A and 28.3% were influenza B. Of subtyped flu A samples, 51.3% were the 2009 H1N1 strain and 48.7% were H3N2.

Hospitalization indicators remained stable and have been decreasing since the first of the year, the CDC said.

Overall deaths from flu rose last week, and the CDC received reports of 9 more pediatric flu deaths, raising the season's total to 91. The deaths occurred between November and the first weeks of February. Five were linked to the H1N1 virus, and four were related to influenza B.

In its latest data updates today, the CDC said both severity markers for COVIDhospitalizations and deathsdeclined last week. Hospitalizations remain elevated in seniors and infants ages 12 months and younger.

Early indicators also show downward trends, with the nation's test positivity rate at 8.1%. The rate is a bit higher in the southeast than in other parts of the country. Also, emergency department visits declined 12.4% from the previous week.

Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 detections, another early signal, remained high. For the week ending February 17, detections are much higher in the southern region than in the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, RSV levels continue to decline in many areas, and hospitalizations levels are dropping for both infants and seniors, the CDC said in its weekly respiratory virus snapshot.

Deaths from RSV remained stable.

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US flu levels stubbornly high as COVID declines further - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

CDC classifies severity to understand the impact of flu virus activity throughout the season on the population and health care system. These data can help guide public health actions, such as targeting prevention and treatment messages to appropriate audiences and make recommendations designed to prevent flu illnesses and death. Additional information onHow CDC Classifies Flu Severityis available.

Additionally, CDC estimates the 2023-2024 in-season disease burden of flu available at Preliminary In-Season Burden Estimates.

Three flu surveillance indicators (influenza-like illness (ILI) outpatient visits, flu-related hospitalizations, and flu deaths) are used to assess the severity of a flu season each week. The preliminary severity for a season is classified by assessing these indicators across all age groups at the highest week of activity for each indicator during the season. The highest values are compared to historic flu seasons and classified as being low, moderate, high, or very high severity based on which intensity threshold the highest week value observed to date crosses. The highest week assessment can change as the season progresses, depending on activity levels of the flu indicators.

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2023-2024 United States Flu Season: Preliminary In-Season Severity Assessment | CDC - CDC

CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) After a confirmed case of Avian Influenza in a backyard flock of birds in Kanawha County, the West Virginia Department of Health stated that the health risk for the public was low.

The case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was discovered in a non-commercial backyard flock in Kanawha County, and according to the West Virginia Department of Health it is the first confirmed case since 2006 of Avian Influenza in commercial birds or backyard flocks.

The exposed individuals are being watched by the West Virginia Department of Health (WVDH) and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA), who are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stop the virus from spreading more.

According to the West Virginia Department of Health, the public health risk is limited to the people who had direct contact with the infected birds, as the virus does not spread easily to humans.

This virus has been previously identified in surrounding states, it is important to note that the risk of transmission to humans is very low and limited to those with direct contact with the birds. If you have concerns about your exposure or symptoms, you should isolate at home and contact your primary care doctor and local health department. We will continue to follow this closely and provide updates if the risk changes.

Avian Influenza spreads among birds through eye and nose secretions, and manure, and can can spread to different flocks through many ways such as contact with infected birds, wild birds, clothes and shoes of people in contact with the birds, and equipment.

The WVDA will continue to work with USDA-APHIS on monitoring and follow all protocols to protect our valuable poultry industry. The best strategy any bird owner has against this disease is prevention. It is essential to continue taking preventative measures to protect flocks from wild birds where the disease occurs naturally and follow other biosecurity measures to prevent the spread.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture stated that meat, poultry, or egg products are safe to eat, as they are not affected by Avian Influenza, however correct handling of egg and poultry products is recommended as a food safety measure.

The USDA will help protect the poultry industry in West Virginia from the virus by monitoring the affected birds that are in quarantine.

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Birds test positive for bird flu in Kanawha County - WVNS-TV

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Massachusetts continues to see high numbers of the flu.

According to the CDC, the state is currently seeing high levels of the virus. There have been 11 flu deaths reported in the state over the past week, 113 total for the season.

If you are infected, health officials recommend getting plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, and take over-the-counter medications to reduce symptoms. Doctors say in some cases prescription antiviral medications may also help.

The first line of defense against the flu is to get vaccinated, said Dr. Andrew Koslow, associate medical director of AFC for Massachusetts. Antiviral medications are a second linewhen the vaccine doesnt prevent infection, or someone didnt receive the vaccine. Antiviral medications are mostly used for severe cases of the flu or patients who are considered at high risk for flu-related complications.

22News spoke with people about how theyre protecting themselves. Now and then I will walk around with a mask on. If I do get in crowded spaces I will wear it and Ive gotten two shots, well the flu shot and the one for Covid, Ive gotten them, so Im doing pretty good, said David Whalen of West Springfield.

Dr. Koslow says you can reduce the spread of infections by doing the following:

According to the CDC, there has been at least 24 million flu illnesses, with more than 260,000 hospitalizations so far this season.

Kayleigh Thomas is a digital reporter who has been a part of the22Newsteam since 2022. Follow Kayleigh on X@kayleighcthomasand view herbioto see more of her work.

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Flu cases spreading rapidly in Massachusetts - WWLP.com

WRAL News checked in with UNC, Duke and WakeMed hospitals about their latest numbers, and all reported a decrease in overall COVID, flu and RSV cases.

Emergency room visits for all respiratory viruses continues to drop for fourth consecutive week, now making up just 11% of all visits. Flu hospitalizations went down, nowmakingup 2% of all ER visits compared to its peak in late December when it made up 5%.RSV makes up the lowest of all current respiratory cases (just 0.5% of all ER visits).

COVID hospital admissions went up slightly, with 737 patients statewide compared to 702 a week ago, and 25.6 million more COVID-19 virus particles were found in wastewater compared to last week.

At WakeMed on Wednesday, less than 80 people are hospitalized for COVID, flu and RSV combined. WakeMed currently has 63 COVID-19 hospitalizations, the highest out of the three hospitals but down from 67 last month.

UNC Health is reporting 33 COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 30 last month, and Duke Health is reporting 30 COVID-19 hospitalizations this week compared to 45 last month.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the peak of the season may be over, but virus levels are still up.

Dr. Daniel Park, who leads the pediatric emergency department at UNC Medical Center, told WRAL News hospital capacity is still a concern, and were not yet out of the woods.

"The numbers have started to come down, which is encouraging, but we are still experiencing capacity concerns from time to time," Park said.

According to Park, one of the easiest ways to slow the spread of these illnesses is keeping children at home if they have a fever. Children should be fever-free for at least 24 hours before you send them back to school.

North Carolina's flu season runs from October until May. In late January, Dr. Cameron Wolfe, infectious disease specialist at Duke Health, said the hospitals were slightly less strained but shared a word of caution.

"I want to be cautious and say were not out of the woods yet but certainly less busy than it was a fortnight ago," Wolfe said. "Suddenly you get this wash of respiratory viral infections ... surgeries get delayed, ED admissions get delayed, people cant get out to their nursing homes and rehabs as quickly. All of those things, unfortunately, take place in the middle of winter, and I think were starting to see that just start to relax a little bit, which is great news.

WRAL data trackers looked back at five years of pre-COVID flu data and determined the average number of deaths per flu season in North Carolina is 211. Historically, the majority of deaths occur late in the season, in February or March.

"Its very typical for us to get a light rise in influenza-B cases that can sometimes be as late as March or even April," Wolfe said. "So I dont think were through all of that yet by any means."

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"Demand has slightly decreased for the flu and COVID vaccines, but demand has remained steady for the RSV and pneumonia vaccines," said CVS Regional Director Gaurang Trivedi

The demand for COVID-19 vaccines is greatest in the 65 and older age group.

Park said there have been high rates of children with respiratory illnesses like RSV and the flu in hospitals.

Hospital's visitation precautions ask for children experiencing active symptoms to not come to the hospital unless they are experiencing worsen symptoms such as difficulty breathing and high fever.

According to the CDC, you cant tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 by the symptoms alone. Specific testing is needed to tell what the illness is and confirm a diagnosis.

Adults should see their doctor if they experience any of the following:

Children should see a doctor if they experience:

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Triangle hospitals report fewer COVID, flu, RSV patients, but we're not in the clear yet - WRAL News

BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. - A staff member confirms Bethlehem Township's Notre Dame High School is virtual because of a flu outbreak.

A quarter of the students were out sick Thursday.

We also spoke to someone impacted by the norovirus, a virus where there is no vaccine and washing your hands is the best protection.

All of a sudden, he just went in, vomited here now, and then he had a lot of diarrhea,Bethlehem's Jennifer Jones said as she described the weeklong fall fight her 8-year-old son Dallas had with the norovirus.

It was just constant cleaning up after him and constant showers, she said.

Current CDC data show the Northeast region of the country has the highest positivity rate of the very contagious stomach bug which causes vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.

You could be feeling fine one minute, and just feeling completely nauseated the next minute, said Dr. Michael Kimzey, the head of Infectious Disease at Doylestown Health.

Kimzey says there is no vaccine for the typically two-to-three day highly contagious virus, that severely dehydrates the body, and can be contracted by touching a tabletop or shaking a hand.

Alcohol rinses that we use, they will not protect you, they don't get rid of this virus. So really the only way to cleanse your hands is going to be using soap and water, he said.

The norovirus uptick comes during flu season, according to staff. Bethlehem Township's Notre Dame High is virtual Friday due to the flu.

Luckily, we rarely see both at the same time, you're just struck with one or the other. But both can cause severe disease, Kimzey said of the flu and norovirus mixing.

As for Dallas, he's back to full strength.

He has a lot of allergies, like seasonal allergies. Other than that, he's fine. Yeah, he's fine, he said.

Doctors say get the flu vaccine, and drink a lot of liquids if you have the norovirus.

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Bethlehem Twp. school going virtual after flu outbreak, as flu, norovirus cases circulate in the area - 69News WFMZ-TV

CLEVELAND, Ohio If you havent already gotten you flu shot, its not too late. Thats the message from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Ohio Department of Public Health in response to rising rates of flu and respiratory illness across the state.

Ohios flu activity is currently rated as very high. This is the first time the state flu rates have been designated above high this season. The reason is for the unusually high numbers of hospitalizations, ER visits and outpatient visits for flu-like symptoms.

Normally flu season ends around March, but nearly all indicators are trending above the five-year average for this time of year, according to the latest data on the ODH website, though reporting does lag.

During the week ending Feb. 10, the last weekly report, there were 558 hospitalizations due to confirmed cases of influenza in Ohio. In addition, the number of physicians visits jumped by 30%.

Flu hospitalizations are highest in West Central and Northeast Ohio.

However, Northeast Ohio has had the highest number of flu hospitalizations for the season, and Cuyahoga County has had the highest percentage of hospitalizations (14%) of any county in the state. Franklin County is the next highest with 9.5%.

This means that Cuyahoga County is have more than its share of flu cases per capita, as the county accounts for about 10.4% of the states population, while Franklin county is getting fewer cases per capita, with 11.2% of the states population.

Although the exact species of flu virus in early-February surge is unknown, CDC monitoring of this years flu strains shows that they have been well covered by the 2023 vaccine.

Of the circulating virus thus far, 82% were found to be Influenza A, and 18% were influenza B. Among those FluA cases, 78% are subtype (H1N1) pdm09, and 22.3% are the H3N2 subtype. Meanwhile 100% of FluB cases are from the Victoria lineage of viruses.

All three of these strains are included in the current vaccine. Nationally, about half of American adults have been vaccinated.

Learn more about how to schedule a vaccination here.

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Ohio now rates very high for flu activity, according to latest CDC report - cleveland.com

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The prospect of the worrisome triple threat of COVID, RSV, and flu was assuaged last year by the effectiveness of flu vaccines. Two recent studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's VISION Network have found that flu vaccines were effective for all ages against both moderate and severe flu in the U.S. during the 2022-2023 flu season.

Both the pediatric and adult VISION Network studies analyzed flu-associated emergency department (E.D.)/urgent care visits (indicative of moderate disease) and hospitalization (indicative of severe disease) from October 2022 through March 2023, a flu season in which far fewer individuals were social distancing or wearing masks than during the two previous flu seasons.

Vaccination reduced the risk of flu-related E.D./urgent care visits and hospitalization for those 6 months to 17 years by almost half. For adults, regardless of age, vaccination reduced the risk of E.D. urgent care visits by almost half and reduced the risk of hospitalization by slightly more than a third.

These results led the authors of both studies to conclude that flu vaccination is likely to substantially reduce illness, death, and strain on health care resources.

"We study the effectiveness of flu and other vaccines to ensure that our processes for forecasting the most effective vaccines are working well and therefore might potentially also be translatable to other diseases as well," said Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S., a co-author of both the pediatric and adult VISION Network studies, Regenstrief Institute vice president for data and analytics and a family practice physician.

"Given influenza's significant disease burdenfor example, the H1N1 (swine) flu killed over a quarter of a million people worldwide in 2009-2010we want to make sure that we understand virus trends as well as other factors and that we're continuing to do as well as and as much as we can to reduce the flu disease burden."

Both the pediatric and adult studies evaluated electronic health record (EHR) data from sites across three health care systems in California, Utah, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Vaccination reduced the risk of flu-related E.D./urgent care visits (moderate disease) by 48 percent and hospitalization (severe disease) by 40 percent overall across ages 6 months to 17 years. Broken down by age, risk reduction was greater for those aged 6 months to 4 years than for older children and adolescents.

Approximately 30 percent of E.D./critical care visits for acute respiratory illness in children and adolescents were positive for flu, as were 14 percent of hospitalizations.

"Vaccine Effectiveness Against Pediatric Influenza-A-Associated Urgent Care, Emergency Department, and Hospital Encounters During the 2022-2023 Season, VISION Network" is published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Vaccine effectiveness was 45 percent against E.D./critical care visits(moderate disease) for adults under age 65. Effectiveness against hospitalization (severe disease) was 23 percent.

Adults younger than 65 typically received standard-dose inactivated vaccines.

Vaccine effectiveness was 41 percent against both flu-associated E.D./urgent care visits (moderate disease) and hospitalization (serious disease) for this age group.

Adults age 65 and older typically received enhanced vaccine products.

"Influenza vaccine effectiveness against influenza-A-associated emergency department, urgent care, and hospitalization encounters among U.S. adults, 2022-2023" is published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

"As with COVID, the dynamics of flu differs between children and adults. But we found that for both children and adults, vaccination significantly reduced the need for trips to the E.D. or critical care center and for hospitalization for flu-related illnesses last flu season, and this is encouraging," said Dr. Grannis.

"I'm hopeful that we will see similar or even better vaccine effectiveness during the current flu season. Even if they do experience symptoms, people who are vaccinated typically tend to have milder, shorter cases of the flu, a viral illness which can carry a severe disease burden.

"The vaccine effectiveness we saw in last year's flu season is encouraging. As both a research scientist and a primary care physician, I urge everyone to be vaccinated for flu this year and every yearit's good for each person's health and the health of your community."

More information: Mark W Tenforde et al, Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Against Influenza AAssociated Emergency Department, Urgent Care, and Hospitalization Encounters Among US Adults, 20222023, The Journal of Infectious Diseases (2023). DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad542

Katherine Adams et al, Vaccine Effectiveness Against Pediatric Influenza-AAssociated Urgent Care, Emergency Department, and Hospital Encounters During the 20222023 Season: VISION Network, Clinical Infectious Diseases (2023). DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciad704

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Research finds flu vaccines were effective in 20222023 flu season - Medical Xpress