An outbreak of bird flu has killed more than 1 million birds on Sonoma County farms, potentially causing problems with the region’s egg supply.
Juan Escamilla, who has worked in the agriculture industry for 14 years, is convinced the problem is crippling California.
“When there’s a disease, it has an impact, so if one chicken is infected, you have to reduce the number of all the chickens,” Escamilla said.
Some consumers also noticed that the products on store shelves were, in some cases, less available and slightly more expensive.
Blanca works in the restaurant industry, and these issues forced them to change the way they sell.
“This affects us because the price of some dishes with eggs has to go up, like burritos or breakfasts,” Blanca said.
Rodrigo Gallardo, a professor of avian infectious diseases, studied the situation in California and confirmed that things have changed.
“Compared to previous months in the state, things have gotten worse. Like other states, California has been affected, but we are hearing more about it because multiple different production units have been affected in the last month. Impact,” Gallardo explained.
How does this impact consumers?
“If we only transport them to egg-laying areas, we have 18 to 20 million chickens, so chicken mortality will affect the state’s egg production,” Gallardo assured.
But California also buys eggs from other parts of the country, which would be a solution.
“Eggs that won’t be produced in the state will be imported and most likely won’t be necessary, but we may see a price increase,” Gallardo added.
Experts say society does not need to panic, it just needs to be prepared.
“People have to stay calm, there are professionals behind this and we have information about what’s going on,” Gallardo said.
Experts explain that if you have birds, it’s important to keep them in enclosures, feed them well and try to use biosecurity measures, clothing and shoes.
If you find an infected bird on the street, Gallardo recommends:
“If you see sick birds on the street that are not behaving well, have respiratory symptoms or in many cases are nervous, please do not approach them and call the Ministry of Agriculture hotline,” he stressed.
They also strongly recommend getting a seasonal flu shot if you are in frequent contact with birds.
Experts also emphasized that avian influenza is not easily infective to humans, but the possibility of the virus mutating and changing the status quo is still very small.
To report an unusual number of sick or dead birds, call CDFA at (866) 922-2473.