CNN
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All poultry operations have been suspended in Georgia after bird flu was confirmed at a commercial poultry operation, officials announced Friday.
The positive case of avian flu in Elbert County was confirmed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a news release. This is the first time avian flu has been confirmed on a commercial poultry operation in Georgia since the national outbreak began in 2022, and the fifth time the virus has been detected in the state.
All poultry exhibitions, shows, trades, meets and sales in Georgia have been suspended until further notice, the state agriculture department announced. Additionally, all commercial poultry operations within a 6-mile radius have been placed under quarantine and will undergo surveillance testing for at least two weeks.
“This is a serious threat to Georgia’s No. 1 industry and to the livelihoods of thousands of Georgians who make a living from our state’s poultry industry,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner said , Tyler Harper, in a press release. “We are working around the clock to mitigate any further spread of the disease and ensure that normal poultry operations in Georgia can resume as quickly as possible. »
On Wednesday, the poultry producer noticed flu symptoms in his flock. Samples were collected the next morning and taken to the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network for analysis. The lab detected the positive case Thursday afternoon and the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed it Friday, according to the news release.
Georgia Department of Agriculture emergency management and response teams were then deployed to the scene Friday for depopulation, cleaning, disinfection and disposal, according to the press release. Over the weekend, teams are expected to continue their work on the site which had around 45,000 broiler breeders at the time the virus was detected.
The positive case came about a week after the virus was detected in a backyard flock in Clayton County, according to the state agriculture department. It also comes nearly two weeks after the first human death from bird flu was reported in Louisiana.
A growing number of cases of avian flu among commercial and wild flocks have been confirmed nationwide, with 94 cases confirmed last month, according to the USDA. Of these, half were commercial flocks, while the other half were backyard flocks. According to the department, 11.16 million birds were affected.
In the United States, the number of flocks infected with bird flu almost doubled in December compared to the previous month. According to the USDA, 122 commercial and backyard flocks have tested positive, up from 62 in November. Already, 44 herds have been confirmed so far in January.
After the nationwide outbreak began in January 2022, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed avian influenza in a commercial flock in February 2022, marking the first detection in commercial poultry since 2020. There is also an ongoing outbreak of avian flu among dairy cattle.
There have been 67 human cases of bird flu in the United States since April 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In almost all human cases, patients had been exposed to infected animals. The current risk of bird flu to the general public is low, according to the CDC, but people who raise chickens and other birds in their backyards should be careful, as should workers on dairy and poultry farms, officials said. of health.