Less than a week after a highly contagious strain of bird flu was found in a Georgia commercial chicken facility for the first time, a second and even larger flock nearby has tested positive for the virus, state agriculture officials said Wednesday.
The virus, the H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, has ravaged wild birds, commercial poultry and some mammal species for more than two years across the U.S. during an unprecedented outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the risk to humans from H5N1 is low, but public health officials fear the virus has the potential to morph into a pandemic. In the meantime, it has also caused widespread disruption to poultry, egg and dairy farms in other states.
Georgia has had sporadic confirmed infections in wild birds and some backyard flocks, but until now the state’s powerhouse poultry industry had managed to dodge the virus. Now, the detections are set to trigger temporary bans on the export of chicken raised in Georgia to some of its key foreign trade partners, potentially costing the industry tens of millions of dollars or more depending upon the length of the pause.
Like the first, the second case also occurred in Elbert County, about 35 miles northeast of Athens. Georgia Department of Agriculture spokesperson Matthew Agvent described the area as a “poultry dense” part of the state, with 120 other poultry farms within a 10-mile radius of the affected facilities.
The second detection was found on Jan. 17 during “routine, pre-movement” testing by the Georgia Poultry Lab Network, but was not confirmed by a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab until late Tuesday, the GDA said.
The flock where the virus was found was located about 210 yards from premises where the first infection was confirmed last week in a flock of 45,000 birds, the GDA said. The new case occurred in a flock of 130,000 birds, all of which were culled to contain the spread, GDA officials confirmed Wednesday.
The close proximity of the flocks allowed Georgia agriculture officials to respond to both cases at the same time, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a statement. The agency said “depopulation” of the birds in both facilities was completed within 48 hours of the Jan. 17 detection, but added that disposal and disinfection is still in progress. In the meantime, the GDA said its law enforcement officers are maintaining a secure perimeter around the affected premises.
In a statement, Harper stressed that bird flu “remains a serious threat to our state’s economy, Georgia’s No. 1 industry, and the health and safety of poultry in our state,” and thanked staff who he said have been working in the bitter cold.
Trade bans
Georgia is the country’s top producer of broiler chickens and the state’s industry that is worth an estimated $6.7 billion, according to a University of Georgia analysis based on 2022 data, the most recent year available.
The 175,000 birds killed as a result of the infections represent less than 1% of the state’s total broiler population, which totaled 1.3 billion chickens according to USDA data from 2023, the most recent year available.
Wendy White, industry manager for food and beverage for Georgia Tech’s Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, said that means the losses shouldn’t affect the domestic chicken market much. “But,” she added, “if we start to see more and more commercial flocks become affected, we will definitely see some shortages and price increases.”
Georgia producers, even those whose flocks have avoided the virus, could still take an economic hit as a result of the infections.
In 2023, Georgia exports of poultry products were valued at $1.6 billion according to the state Department of Economic Development.
Greg Tyler, president and CEO of the Atlanta-based USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, said some of the largest markets for U.S.-raised chicken — including Mexico, Taiwan and Korea — have already or are set to temporarily ban imports of chicken from Georgia after the cases. Some bans could be narrowed to the county level later, but are still likely to last anywhere from several weeks to as many as six to eight months, in the case of Taiwan.
Tyler said the council’s preliminary analysis finds the cases are likely to cost Georgia’s industry an estimated $34 million in export losses from being shut out of some international trade.
Quarantine and testing
Other measures state officials announced in response to the first detection last week will remain in place, the GDA said.
All commercial poultry operations within a 6.2.-mile or 10-kilometer radius will remain under quarantine for at least two weeks, with additional surveillance testing. Since the two poultry facilities were located in close proximity, GDA said they were not expanding the quarantine perimeter.
After the first detection last week, the GDA announced a statewide suspension of all poultry exhibitions, shows, swaps, meets and sales. A ban on those activities will remain in effect indefinitely.
But retail sales of chicken and eggs are not impacted. In a news release Saturday, Harper stressed the state’s food supply is safe.
Chicken and eggs are tested for the virus before they are harvested, and the USDA says the risk of infected meat or eggs entering the supply chain is low. In the unlikely case infected product were to enter the supply chain, the agency says properly prepared and cooked chicken and eggs are still safe to eat because the heat kills the virus.
“Every Georgian can and should have 100% confidence in the safety and security of poultry products offered for sale in the state of Georgia,” Harper said.
Georgia has not had any confirmed cases of H5N1 in cattle or humans, but concerning news about the virus has been pouring out of other states.
Earlier this month, a patient in Louisiana died from H5N1, becoming the first death in the U.S. from the virus. California also recently declared a state of emergency in response to an explosive outbreak in dairy cattle. Meanwhile, scientists say there are signs the virus may be changing in ways that could allow it to spread more easily to humans.
GDA officials have urged Georgia poultry producers to closely monitor their flocks and report any unusual symptoms they observe. Clinical signs of bird flu infection in avian species include lethargy, loss of appetite, discolored combs and feet, and sudden death without signs of disease.
State employees involved in the response to the outbreaks are also being watched closely for signs of infection with help from the Georgia Department of Public Health, said Agvent, the GDA spokesperson.
Agvent said all responders are wearing personal protective equipment and are required to follow strict biosecurity protocols. He added that daily symptom checks are done on all staff involved in the operation, and that monitoring will continue for 10 days. If any employees show signs of infection, testing will be made available, he said.
