Q&A: From people avoiding wild birds to farmers protecting their animals, Kent State epidemiologist Dr. Tara Smith shares tips on bird flu prevention.

Researchers have stressed that bird flu still poses a minimal risk to the general public, though that may change as the virus continues to circulate and potentially mutate. But the many empty shelves in stores and higher prices on the eggs that people can find have raised concerns among consumers about the safety of the egg supply.

Most of the bird flu cases reported so far in the U.S. have belonged to an influenza subtype known as HPAI H5N1. The newly reported subtype in Merced County is called “HPAI H5N9.” Although H5N9 has been reported before in the U.S., this was the first time it was reported as “highly pathogenic.”

Waffle House announced it will be adding a $0.50 surcharge to all egg items on the menu sold at its more than 2,000 locations because of soaring egg prices caused by the bird flu. The surcharge went into effect Monday.

The CDC says more than 150 million birds have been infected with bird flu, causing major price hikes to eggs and the deaths of millions of birds. With the first human death linked to the disease in January,

The National Institutes of Health reports that avian influenza A virus, or bird flu, is now widespread in wild birds all over the world. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also states that over 18 million birds have contracted the virus in this country.

Wisconsin is among 10 states to report human cases of the H5N1 virus so far, with more than half reported in California.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has recommended an additional half a million dollars in state spending to support the development of vaccines for bird flu and other foreign animal diseases, according to RadioIowa.