Poultry farmers in Georgia are currently on alert as they work to control an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu. This situation marks the third confirmed case in a commercial facility within the state this year.
A producer in Gordon County identified symptoms of the disease on Wednesday, reporting it to the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network the following day, as stated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
In response, the Emergency Management Team and State Agriculture Response Team from the Georgia Department of Agriculture were dispatched to the affected sites. Their tasks included culling the infected birds, disposal, and thorough cleaning and disinfection.
About 140,000 broiler chickens were housed at the facility in question.
State officials have declared a quarantine for all commercial poultry operations located within a 10-kilometer radius for at least the next two weeks, during which surveillance testing will be enforced.
“This is a grave concern for the numerous Georgians who rely on the poultry industry for their livelihoods,” remarked Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper in a statement. “Our teams are working tirelessly to halt the spread and safeguard our flocks.”
Recently, the University of Minnesota’s Office of Infectious Disease Research also reported an outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Swift County, home to 34,000 birds, which is noteworthy given that it’s in one of the leading turkey-producing areas in the U.S. Additionally, a commercial egg farm in Indiana with approximately 20,000 birds has reported a similar outbreak.
This strain of HPAI was first detected in U.S. commercial herds on February 8, 2022. Alarmingly, data from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service indicates that in just the past month, 64 flocks have been impacted, affecting nearly 3.5 million birds.
