(Economist) Avian flu in America is a political problem and a health threat

Waffle House is typically a port in a storm. The breakfast restaurants are so unshakeable that the federal emergency-response agency uses their closure as an indicator of a severe natural disaster. Yet on February 3rd Waffle House wobbled—it announced a 50-cent surcharge per egg, citing rising costs due to avian flu. The shell-shock is widespread: the average cost of a dozen eggs is now over $7 (see chart), a 140% increase from a year ago. Even so, supermarkets are selling out.

The outbreak of avian flu, which began in turkeys in February 2022, has already led to the death of 150m birds, including 41m in December and January alone. The disease is now rife in dairy cows and has infected at least 67 people, mostly dairy workers. In January the first person died. Even so, with no reported human-to-human spread, experts say the disease does not currently pose much threat to people.

But it does pose an economic and political risk. The Department of Agriculture (usda) has already spent over $2bn trying to contain the outbreak. The costs to consumers are likely to be much higher. And the price of eggs has a particular political salience. In September J.D. Vance, then candidate for vice-president, highlighted its rise, saying that eggs were more expensive “thanks to Kamala Harris’s inflationary policies”. There is some truth to the accusation of federal bungling: the former administration’s response to avian flu was halting. Although the Trump administration cannot undo its mistakes, it can avoid repeating them.

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Not much can be done about current egg prices in America and the government expects them to rise even further. But other elements of the outbreak can be managed https://t.co/UJbzL6hMgQ

Photo: Getty Images pic.twitter.com/MX8yYBWOBA

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) February 10, 2025