Customers in Louisiana and nationwide are dealing with egg prices going up and sparsely populated aisles at the grocery store following the spread of the bird flu in the U.S.

Avian flu is a common illness among birds, but it can spread to humans and other mammals. The virus is shed through excretions, such as saliva and feces. Exposure to sick or dead animals is the primary way humans contract bird flu, according to the CDC.

This health risk report comes after news that the first patient who was hospitalized, and who was the first human case of avian influenza, in Louisiana has died. The patient was over 65 years old ...

Seven Delmarva-region commercial operations have now reported cases of the highly contagious virus.

"The Chinese poultry lineage may have experienced more vaccine-driven selection compared to other lineages," the researchers wrote.

This funding, announced Friday by Moderna, builds on the $176 million it received from HHS last year to support earlier stages of vaccine research.

Avian flu is rampant in poultry farms and in wild birds in the U.S. Every mutation brings the virus one step closer to the brink of human-to-human transmission, but predicting whether a virus will cross that threshold remains an uncertain science.

Georgia is the nation's largest poultry producing state. Last week, bird flu was found for the first time in a commercial poultry plant in the state.

Backyard chicken enthusiasts are keeping an eye on alerts from the state’s health and agricultural departments after a person died in Louisiana from highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Public-health officials are now comparing the genetic features of the teen’s case with that of a Louisiana patient whose death this week was the first reported to be attributed to H5N1 in the U.S.

Staying a step ahead of the avian influenza virus with surveillance, testing and research could mean the difference between a close call and global catastrophe