Chicken or the egg? Alaska Veterinarian discusses high egg prices, avian flu

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Alaska grocery stores have eggs in stock — but prices are high and health officials say there might be other factors at play, but avian flu is largely to blame for the rising cost.

In 2024, eggs were among ten products or services with prices that rose the most since 2020 according to the Pew Research Center. Rising just over 40% in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

Sarah Coburn, State Veterinarian for Alaska, doesn’t believe that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is the sole reason eggs are beginning to hit double-digit prices in some Alaska grocery stores — but said it’s a major contributor.

Bird flu has been on the rise in the country since 2022 — Alaska saw its first confirmed case in a non-commercial backyard flock of chickens and ducks in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in April 2022, according to the Department of Health.

The virus, initially impacting a variety of wild birds has shown transmission to mammals. As of May 2024, Alaska DOH has observed infections in a black bear, brown bear, and three red foxes.

At the time of publication, the CDC reports 162,770,988 birds have been affected by bird flu. Commercial poultry has seen those effects according to Coburn, who said approximately 33 million laying birds have been infected in the past several months.

″An average year, average time, there’s about 300 million laying birds in the United States," Coburn said. “So if just in 48 weeks we’ve lost 33 million of those, that’s a pretty significant percentage.”

While Coburn attributes bird flu as a major factor contributing to higher costs, she highlights there’s a combination of elements forming the current consumer landscape.

″Even in commercial operations that are year-round production there’s a little bit of natural decline in the winter months, so that’s kind of matching up with the virus as well," Coburn said.

While Coburn said it’s safe to eat eggs that have been inspected, there’s also a possibility for purchasing patterns to change if misinformed consumers stop buying eggs as an unnecessary precaution.

Should Americans expect further progression of bird flu? That’s what Coburn called a million-dollar question.

She said outbreaks in 2016 and 2022 taught public health specialists a lot about the virus and how to prevent or slow spreading. However, dairy cattle and sporadic human infection complicate the equation.

″There’s concern that the more times it’s replicating and more species over a longer period of time, at some point, would it potentially mutate into something that is transmissible between mammals?" Coburn said.

The number of bird flu infections in the state of Alaska is relatively small, Coburn said there were six cases in 2022, three domestic flocks affected in 2023, and two in the fall of 2024. However, she points out that Alaska’s supply of eggs and other essentials is largely imported from the West Coast.

Bird flu’s next progression isn’t clear yet, according to Coburn. She said there’s a chance of turning to vaccinating poultry to prevent infection, but the endeavor comes with its own logistical challenges.

“The risk to the general public from avian flu is very low,” she said. “It is one that has the potential to cause a lot of problems on a large scale, so it’s one that people want to want to keep track of at the larger health level.”

There are a few practices, according to Coburn, that local backyard producers should implement to decrease the risk of infection in their own flocks; limiting free-ranging near ponds, contact between wild and domestic birds, and for duck owners specifically, avoiding shared ponds with wild ducks.

She recommends being especially mindful of where shoes have been, designating a specific set of boots for inside an area with domestic birds, and not wearing boots that have been worn to other farms or out on a hike (where they will have been exposed to the feces of other animals or wilds birds) into your own pen.

Signs of respiratory problems like trouble breathing or purple combs on the tops of a chicken’s head are indications to treat any birds with caution, Coburn said.

“I wouldn’t have children or other people handling them. Use gloves and call either your private vet or you’re welcome to call us as well,” Coburn said.

More information on signs of infection, and who to call with concerns can be found on the Division of Environmental Health’s website.

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