Poultry Shutdown in Georgia: The Bird Flu Arrives in Commercial Farms

In a significant blow to Georgia's poultry industry, state officials have temporarily halted all poultry activities after bird flu was found in a commercial operation. The discovery in Elbert County, confirmed by both the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Agriculture, is the first time the virus has hit Georgia's commercial poultry since the outbreak started in 2022. This marks the fifth detection of bird flu in the state. The state's agriculture department swiftly responded by suspending all poultry exhibitions, shows, and sales. A quarantine was also imposed on commercial poultry operations within a 6-mile radius of the infected site for at least two weeks. The outbreak comes just a week after bird flu was detected in a backyard flock in Clayton County and about two weeks after the first human death from bird flu in Louisiana.

The poultry producer first noticed flu symptoms in their flock on Wednesday. Samples were collected the next day and sent to the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network. The lab identified the positive case on Thursday, and the USDA's lab confirmed it on Friday. The state's emergency response team was immediately deployed to handle the depopulation, cleaning, and disinfection of the site. Nationwide, bird flu cases have been steadily increasing. The USDA reports that 94 cases were confirmed last month alone, with half occurring in commercial flocks and the other half in backyard flocks. The number of affected birds reached 11. 16 million. In December, the number of affected flocks nearly doubled compared to November, with 122 cases identified. January has already seen 44 confirmed cases. Health officials caution that while the risk to the general public is low, those interacting closely with poultry and birds need to be extra cautious. Since April 2024, there have been 67 human bird flu cases in the US, with almost all cases linked to exposure to infected animals.

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