Hipsters and bacon lovers the world over are going to have to come up with a little more scratch if they want to fulfill their bacon jones: the price of the porcine treat just went up after a rare virus from China has killed thousands of pigs! 

As a near-lifelong vegetarian, I'd like to point out that we vegetarians and vegans don't have these problems...and now's as good a time as any to consider taking up a plant-based diet.

Nonetheless, according to ABC News, porcine epidemic diarrhea (which sounds absolutely delicious, doesn't it?) has spread from China to over 27 states since last May. This virus, which is extremely rare, has killed thousands of pigs. It, in fact, is causing so many problems that the Federal government is looking into how and why the disease has spread, while the pork industry has allocated $1.7 million in funds to research the disease itself.

Furthermore, according to The Christian Science Monitor, the price of bacon has jumped as a result of this mass death of pigs. A pound of bacon averages about $5.50, which is 13 percent more than it was at this time last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the die-off has had a hand in shrinking the nation's pig herd by 3 percent to about 63 million pigs. 

This disease mostly threatens young piglets, because the dehydration caused by the diarrhea can kill them.

According to the National Center for Disease Control and the FDA, this is not a new virus, nor is it a regulatory/reportable disease. Since PEDV is widespread in many countries, it is not a trade-restricting disease, but rather a production-related disease. PEDV may appear clinically to be the same as transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) virus with acute diarrhea. Producers will need to work with their herd veterinarian with if any TGE-like symptoms appear.