THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF FRESH
EGGS IN THE US CASTLEMAINE
FOODS IS TEMPORARILY HALTING
PRODUCTION AT A TEXAS PLANT
AFTER BIRD FLU WAS FOUND IN ITS
CHICKENS.
>> COMPANY SAYS THAT THERE
IS NO, NO, NO KNOWN BIRD FLU
RISK ASSOCIATED WITH EGGS
CURRENTLY IN STORES AND NONE
HAVE SEEN KIND OF RECALLS.
BUT PEOPLE ARE UNDERSTANDABLY
VERY, ESPECIALLY AFTER
THE VIRUS WAS DETECTED AT A
POULTRY FACILITY IN MICHIGAN.
LET'S BRING IN OUR MEDICAL
CONTRIBUTOR, DR. DARIEN SUTTON,
ALONG WITH BUSINESS REPORTER
ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS.
SO, ALL RIGHT, DOC, WHAT DO WE
NEED TO KNOW RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW
MOST IS THAT THIS IS A
RELATIVELY LOW RISK TO THE
GENERAL POPULATION.
WHAT IS THIS, AVIAN INFLUENZA,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS H5N1 IT
BELONGS TO THE INFLUENZA
FAMILY.
>> AND IT'S INCREDIBLY
CONTAGIOUS BETWEEN ANIMALS.
>> AND NOW THAT WE HAD THIS
HUMAN CASE HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES, IT SENSES
AND PRECAUTIONS HAVE BEEN
HEIGHTENED.
>> BUT THANKFULLY IS NO SIGN
OF HUMAN TO HUMAN TRANSMISSION,
WHICH IS WE'RE EAGERLY LOOKING
FORWARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
NOT SEEING THAT AT ALL.
BUT THANKFULLY, THERE'S NO SIGN
OF THAT.
>> ALL RIGHT, GOOD.
SO, ALEXIS, YOU KNOW, MAIN
FOODS, THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF
FRESH EGGS IN THE U.S. SO LET'S
TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT THIS
IS GOING TO HAVE ON PRICES, IF
NOT ALREADY.
RIGHT.
SO I THINK THE BEST THING WE
CAN DO IS LOOK TO THE MOST
RECENT INCIDENT OF AVIAN BIRD
FLU, WHICH WASN'T THAT LONG
AGO, A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO.
AND WHEN THAT HAPPENED, WE SAW
THE PRICE FOR A DOZEN EGGS HIT
NEARLY $5.
THAT WAS A RECORD HIGH.
WE'VE COME DOWN A BIT SINCE
THEN.
WE'RE AT $3 FOR A DOZEN.
THAT'S STILL AN AWFUL LOT
MORE THAN WE WERE PAYING ABOUT
THREE YEARS AGO WHEN A DOZEN
EGGS WAS ABOUT DOLLAR 60.
AND IT'S FOR A NUMBER
OF REASONS, INFLATION, ONE OF
THEM CHICKEN FEED PRICES HIGHER
FOR FARMERS.
BUT IN TERMS OF CATTLEMEN,
THEY'RE NOW TRYING TO LOOK FOR
PRODUCTION AT OTHER FACILITIES
TO SORT OF MEET DEMAND.
AND IF GOING FORWARD, FARMERS
HAVE TO CULL MORE CHICKENS
AND CANNOT UP WITH DEMAND,
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE PRICES MOVE
HIGHER OVERALL.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THE
AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT
ACTUALLY EXPECTS EGG PRICES
TO COME DOWN THIS YEAR BY
THE END OF THE YEAR, ABOUT 3%.
BUT IN THE INTERIM, EVEN IF
THE AVIAN FLU WERE
TO DISSIPATE, RIGHT NOW,
THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A LAG,
3 TO 6 MONTHS FOR FARMERS TO,
BRING NEW CHICKENS ON, A NEW
FLOCK ON SO WE COULD SEE
ELEVATED PRICES FOR FOR A BIT.
ALL RIGHT.
SO, GARY AND BIRD FLU ALREADY
BEING DETECTED IN TWO
FACILITIES THAT WE'VE REPORTED.
NOW, ARE YOU WORRIED THAT IT
COULD CONTINUE TO SPREAD OR DO
YOU THINK THEY CAN PRETTY MUCH
LOCK THIS DOWN?
WELL, I MEAN, GIVEN HOW HOW
PATHOGENIC OR HOW INFECTIOUS
THIS IS AMONG ANIMALS,
I'M EXPECTING THAT WE MIGHT
LIKELY SEE MORE SIGNS OF TO
ANIMAL TRANSMISSION.
BUT AGAIN, THANKFULLY, WE
HAVEN'T SEEN ANY SIGN OF HUMAN
TO HUMAN TRANSMISSION IN THE
CASE THAT WAS IDENTIFIED.
THE SYMPTOMS SEEM RELATIVELY
MILD.
THE PATIENT REPORTED SOMETHING
CALLED CONJUNCTIVITIS, WHICH
OFTEN INCLUDES REDNESS,
ITCHINESS OF THE EYES, AND THE
SYMPTOMS OF THIS INFLUENZA CAN
BE VERY TO THE TYPICAL
INFLUENZA THAT WE SEE INFLUENZA
A AND B FOR FEVER, HEADACHE,
BODY ACHES, WEAKNESS, AND IT
CAN PROGRESS TO SEVERE
SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING PNEUMONIA.
BUT THE REASONS WHY I FEEL
MORE REASSURED IS, NUMBER ONE,
THERE'S TESTING AVAILABLE
AND SO THERE ARE PRECAUTIONS
IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
IDENTIFY NEW CASES.
ALSO, THE PROCESS
OF PASTEURIZATION HELPS
TO ELIMINATE VIRUS IF THERE'S
ANY POSSIBILITY
OF CONTAMINATING MILK.
AND THEN ALSO ARE TAMIFLU
STOCKPILES THAT HAVE BEEN
IN PLACE FOR SPECIFICALLY
REASON, BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN
TRACKED FOR QUITE SOME TIME
AND BEEN DISCUSSED QUITE
SOME TIME AMONG SCIENTIFIC
GROUPS.
>> OKAY