Georgia officials have confirmed the state’s first case of bird flu, suspending all poultry shows, exhibitions, exchanges, gatherings, and sales until further notice.
A poultry producer in Elbert County on Wednesday noticed signs of bird flu in their flock, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Samples are tested and certified by the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network and the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
Test tubes labeled “Bird Flu” and eggs are seen in this image. (Photos by Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
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The GDA Emergency Management and State Agricultural Response Teams were immediately dispatched to the area and began “evacuation, cleaning and disinfection and disposal” on Friday, according to officials.
The operation is expected to continue over the weekend, as the affected area has about 45,000 poultry farmers.
Agricultural response teams in Georgia were immediately dispatched to the infected chicken farm and began to “remove people, clean and disinfect, and dispose of,” according to officials. (Photographer: Mary Kang/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
All chickens sold within a six-kilometer radius were placed under quarantine and will be tested for a period of two weeks, according to the GDA.
Poultry shows, exhibitions, exchanges, and sales (flea market or auction market) in Georgia have been suspended until further notice, according to officials. No word on when they might start again.
The case is the first confirmed in a poultry operation in Georgia, and the fifth in the state, officials said.
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In a press conference on Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed this public danger because bird flu is always low, but it is closely monitored.
There have been 67 confirmed human cases of bird flu since 2022, and 66 will occur in 2024, according to the CDC.
Bird flu has been confirmed in 67 cases, according to officials. (iStock / Stock)
“For the first time since the outbreak began, in 2022, the HPAI [bird flu] has been confirmed in the poultry industry in the state of Georgia,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “This is a serious threat to Georgia’s #1 industry and the livelihoods of thousands of Georgians who depend on our state’s poultry industry. We are working around the clock to limit any spread of this disease and ensure that normal poultry operations in Georgia can resume as soon as possible. “
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The CDC recommends that people avoid direct contact with wild birds or other animals suspected of being infected, and advises poultry farmers to wear protective equipment.
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