GORDON COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have confirmed a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial poultry flock in Gordon County.
The finding marks the fifth such case in Georgia this year and the third in a commercial operation, the Georgia Department of Agriculture said.
The detection of bird flu in Gordon County is part of a broader outbreak that has affected over 182 million birds nationwide since 2022, including 340,000 in Georgia.
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“For the third time this year, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been confirmed in a commercial poultry operation here in Georgia. This poses a serious threat to Georgia’s #1 industry and to the thousands of Georgians whose livelihoods depend on poultry production,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “Our team is working around the clock to contain the spread and protect our flocks.”
On Oct. 22, the producer noticed clinical signs of avian influenza in their flock and contacted the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network the following day. Samples were collected and tested, confirming the presence of bird flu.
The affected premises in Gordon County housed about 140,000 broilers, all of which will be killed in an effort to stop the spread of bird flu.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Management and State Agricultural Response Teams were deployed to the site to conduct depopulation, disposal, cleaning and disinfection operations.
All commercial poultry operations within a 6.2-mile radius of the affected site have been placed under quarantine and will undergo surveillance testing for at least two weeks to prevent further spread of the virus.
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