(NewsNation) — You’re unlikely to contract bird flu from your Thanksgiving turkey — but the price tag might make you queasy.
There were 55 reported cases of bird flu across seven states as of Wednesday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Birds with confirmed cases of avian flu, however, shouldn’t make it to slaughter and therefore aren’t likely to end up on your dinner table, officials say. But if grocers don’t have enough inventory to fill their shelves, the bird could cost more than in previous years.
“Overall, the outbreak could create a ripple effect across various food categories, leading to broader inflation in grocery prices,” Somya Singhvi, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business told USC Today.
Bird flu is widespread in wild birds, causing outbreaks in U.S. dairy cows. Several recent cases have been reported among dairy and poultry workers. Infections among poultry flocks (like turkeys) have been sporadic, according to the CDC.
Professionals will have checked most of the turkeys served Thursday for diseases before and after slaughter, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesperson told the Sacramento Bee newspaper.
The current public health risk for bird flu is low and the CDC is working with states to monitor animal exposure.