Bay Area shoppers are dealing with empty shelves or costly prices for eggs as the bird flu continues to drive up the price.
Now, a new strain of the disease has been found in dairy cows, and experts say it's worth monitoring.
Robert Chapman Wood, a professor of strategic management at San Jose State University, said the prices and shortage could last some time.
"The likelihood is it's going to continue for a while," he said. "The question is how well are we going to be able to control the disease itself? That's not so clear."
The average price for one dozen eggs is more than $5, making it a 50% spike in just the last year. Bird Flu infections have led to more than 13 million hens being slaughtered since December, to show infections.
However, the move has disrupted the egg supply, leading to higher prices and empty shelves.
"It takes some time to rebuild the number of chickens, of laying hens, in the country," Wood said.
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Wood said that although a new strain of the disease has been detected in dairy cattle, there has been little impact.
"So far, the number of cows infected has not had the same kind of impact as the number of birds impacted, but that could happen," he said
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Nearly 70 people in the county have contracted the disease, most of which are farm workers.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Petter Chin Hing said at least two people have contracted the second strain that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently detected.
"This particular strain, although there's no evidence that it's going to get into humans that easily, is capable of causing more serious disease, at least in the 2 cases that we know about," he said.
Chin-Hing added that he urges people not to drink raw milk and to get their flu shots.
"You don't want bird flu to exchange genes with human flu," he said."
