Bird flu has been detected in commercial poultry flocks in Georgia for the first time since the outbreak began in 2022, officials announced Friday.
A positive case of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza was found in Elbert County. The news was confirmed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
This marks the fifth time the virus has been detected in chicken flocks in the state, but the first time it has been detected in a commercial poultry farm. Last week, GDA officials announced that the virus had been found in 13 chicken and duck flocks in Clayton County.
“This poses a serious threat to Georgia’s number one industry and the livelihoods of the thousands of Georgians who depend on our state’s poultry industry,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “We are working around the clock to mitigate the disease. further spread and ensure that normal poultry activities in Georgia can resume as soon as possible.”
Due to the test results, all state poultry shows, displays, exchanges, gatherings and sales have been suspended until further notice.
Earlier this year, a Louisiana resident died after being hospitalized with bird flu, the first death from bird flu in the United States. H5N1 virus.
Since 2003, the World Health Organization counts more than 400 people as having died from the virus.
