First Detection of Bird Flu in Georgia’s Commercial Flock Amidst Nationwide Outbreak

ATLANTA—In a significant development, bird flu has impacted a poultry producer in Georgia for the first time since the nationwide outbreak in 2022, marking a troubling moment for the state’s poultry sector.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture revealed on Friday that it has identified a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at a commercial poultry operation in Elbert County, situated about 100 miles northeast of Atlanta. As a precautionary measure, all poultry exhibitions, shows, swaps, meets, and sales have been suspended.

This virus has previously been detected in Georgia, but only in backyard flocks, including among 13 chickens and ducks earlier this month in Clayton County, south of Atlanta.

“This represents a substantial risk to Georgia’s leading industry and the livelihoods of numerous Georgians who work in our state’s poultry sector,” stated Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper in a news release.

The poultry producer first observed clinical signs indicative of bird flu on Wednesday at the Elbert County site. A positive virus detection was confirmed by the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network on Thursday afternoon, which the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory validated on Friday. At the time of detection, the site housed approximately 45,000 broiler breeders.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Management dispatched its State Agricultural Response Teams to the site on Friday to initiate “depopulation, cleaning, disinfecting, and disposal operations.”

All commercial poultry businesses within a 6.2-mile radius have been placed under quarantine and will undergo at least two weeks of surveillance testing.

Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation, stated on Saturday that the federation is collaborating with both state and federal authorities, assuring that testing protocols are established to guarantee the safety of all chicken products available for consumption, as reported by local outlets. This federation advocates for producers throughout the state.

“This approach to safeguarding the quality of poultry products made in Georgia will persist throughout this response and beyond,” added Giles.

A representative from the Georgia Department of Agriculture indicated that they refrain from disclosing the name of affected sites during an animal disease outbreak to prevent unauthorized access that could lead to further transmission of the disease and to protect the farmer from potential harassment.

Bird flu has been on the rise, resulting in the deaths of millions of both wild and domestic birds across the globe in the past two years, affecting various other species as well.

Across the nation, the virus has been found in 84 commercial and backyard flocks over the last month, impacting 10.7 million birds at those locations, according to the latest online data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It has also been confirmed on various dairy farms.

While cases among humans are infrequent and mostly occur in farmworkers, there has been one reported death due to bird flu—a Louisiana man over the age of 65 who was hospitalized with severe respiratory issues.