Virginia is having its worst bird flu spike yet

The big picture: The Commonwealth has the seventh highest number of birds in the U.S. affected by avian influenza, per confirmed reports from Jan. 4 to Feb. 3.

• In that timeframe, 441,000 birds have gotten sick in a commercial flock in Accomack.
• That's nearly 12 times greater than the number of birds affected statewide in all of 2023, per a USDA database.

Between the lines: It's only a 2% share of the infected birds nationwide. Ohio leads the nation with nearly 8.8 million birds affected.

Yes, but: The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has gotten more reports of sick or dead wild birds on the Eastern Shore, reports the Washington Post.

• The Hunt Club Farm in Virginia Beach killed nearly 300 birds in January to stop the virus' spread, its owner told the Post.
• And at the Metro Richmond Zoo last month, two cranes died of bird flu for the first time in the zoo's history.

Plus, Aldi on Arthur Ashe has placed a "two carton" limit on the number of eggs customers can purchase. Trader Joe's and Costco have issued egg limits, too.

Threat level: Risk to the public remains extremely low, though "that does not mean it will stay that way," Nirav Shah, principal deputy director of the CDC, told Axios.

• It's also still safe to eat eggs, chicken and beef as long as they're cooked properly.

What we're watching: Earlier this month, all six of Virginia's Democratic congressional delegation urged CDC and Department of Agriculture leaders to keep publishing data regarding bird flu to keep the state updated.

• It was in response to President Trump limiting in recent weeks what public health information Americans can see.
• While CDC's weekly report covering outbreaks and public health information returned last week, it didn't mention the intensifying bird flu outbreak.

Go deeper:

• Bird flu crisis enters new phase
• The bird flu is low-risk for most people — for now