MEADE COUNTY, Ky. -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is calling this multi-year bird flu outbreak the largest animal health emergency in U.S. history.

The flu is widespread among birds worldwide, it's infecting poultry and U.S. dairy cows. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms 69 humans have tested positive so far because of one type of bird flu that has caused some rare human infections.

"We're going into our fourth year dealing with this virus in commercial poultry flocks, and it doesn't seem to be slowing dow.," said Denise Derrer Spears with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.

She said the same strain has been circulating since 2022, with cases in all 50 states.

In Indiana, 17 facilities tested positive for bird flu, a disease caused by viruses that spread between birds, not people, according to the CDC.

"Five [positive cases] have been added in the last week so we're concerned about the direction this is going," Spears said. "We're still pretty early in the season."

Three flocks in Indiana tested positive over night, including one commercial turkey flock in Jay County, one commercial duck facility in LaGrange County, Indiana, near Chicago and a backyard flock in Jasper County.

The multiyear bird flu occurrence has impacted prices at the grocery store.

"In this area, at farmers markets you're not going to see a wild of eggs because they're a dime a dozen out here," said small flock farmer Lucas Kudrna. "You go to Louisville with them, you're seeing the price per egg. You're seeing some places are $18 a dozen."

Kudrna has a hobby flock in Meade County, Kentucky with about 70 birds that produce eggs priced at $4 a dozen.

He realizes his price tag feels is a rarity these days. Consumers are seeing not only high prices, but empty shelves.

"It's the hysteria aspect of it," he said. "There's going to be a shortage, so 'let's go buy as much as we can.'"

Kentucky State Representative Savannah Maddox filed a bill that would allow egg producers to sell up to 240 dozen eggs per week directly to consumers.

Currently, the limit is 60 dozen.

"Stuff like that, allowing them to sell more eggs, that would be a no brainer," Kudrna said. "There shouldn't even be a cap on that."

The bill is now in the house agriculture committee.

The current average price per dozen is $8.03, according to the egg price tracker from Trading Economics.