Georgia Chicken Farm Battles Bird Flu Outbreak
A chicken farm in Georgia is taking action to prevent the spread of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu. This farm is the third commercial poultry operation in the state to test positive for the virus this year.
The situation became serious when the Gordon County producer noticed signs of illness on Wednesday and promptly alerted the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network the following day. In response, teams from the Georgia Department of Agriculture were dispatched to handle the situation, which included culling the affected flock, disposing of the remains, and disinfecting the area. The facility housed around 140,000 broiler chickens.
All commercial poultry operations within a 6.2-mile radius of the outbreak are now under quarantine. State officials will conduct surveillance testing in these areas for at least the next two weeks.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper emphasized the importance of the poultry industry to Georgia’s economy, noting, “This poses a serious threat to Georgia’s number one industry and to the thousands of Georgians who rely on poultry production. Our team is working tirelessly to control the outbreak and safeguard our flocks.”
Recently, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota reported another bird flu outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Swift County, which has around 34,000 birds. Additionally, a commercial egg-layer farm in Indiana with nearly 20,000 hens has also reported an infestation.
HPAI was first detected in a U.S. commercial flock on February 8, 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the last month alone, 64 flocks have been confirmed infected, affecting nearly 3.5 million birds.
