As a highly contagious strain of bird flu continues to spread in cows, birds and even humans, the virus has been detected in a noncommercial, backyard flock in Georgia, state agriculture officials said Friday.
The positive case of the virus, known as H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, was confirmed in a flock of 13 chickens and ducks in Clayton County by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Late last month, three birds in the flock suddenly perished. Concerned by the deaths, the owners refrigerated and sent the carcasses to the Georgia Poultry Lab Network for testing, according to a GDA news release. After the lab detected a positive case, the birds were sent to a USDA lab for further testing, which confirmed bird flu as the culprit.
GDA officials said they visited the location where the birds were housed Thursday and culled the remaining flock, plus cleaned and disinfected the premises.
The agency said the virus was likely transmitted to the flock by wild birds. The flock was located in a residential area with a manmade lake that was frequented by waterfowl, which are known to carry the virus.
There have been 136 confirmed cases of the virus in wild birds in Georgia since the current outbreak began in 2022, but this detection is only the third in a backyard flock in the state. The previous incident came days before Thanksgiving in 2023, when the virus tore through a commercial duck farm southeast of Columbus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the risk to humans from H5N1 is low, but public health officials fear that the virus has the potential to morph into a pandemic.
GDA said the Georgia Department of Public Health are coordinating with local health officials to test and surveil anyone who might have had direct contact with the infected birds. GDA staff who visited the premises to cull the flock and clean the area will be under surveillance for 10 days, the agency said. Testing on the virus also is underway to determine the precise strain responsible.
Georgia has not had any confirmed cases of H5N1 in cattle or humans, but a stream of concerning news about the virus has been pouring out of other states.
Earlier last week, 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 urged flock owners to watch their birds closely and report any increases in sicknesses or deaths to the Avian Influenza Hotline at 770-766-6850.
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