Bird flu found in metro Atlanta backyard flock
A backyard flock of birds in metro Atlanta has tested positive for a highly contagious strain of bird flu, Georgia agriculture officials announced Friday.
The culprit is the H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which has ravaged wild birds, commercial poultry and some mammal species across the U.S. since 2022. To date, more than 175 million birds have been affected nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The detection is the second case in a backyard flock this year in Georgia and the first confirmed since January, USDA data shows.
Georgia’s powerhouse poultry industry has fared better than in many other states, but there have been cases in commercial poultry facilities this year. In January, the virus infiltrated chicken houses in northeast Georgia’s Elbert County. The infections led to the culling of around 175,000 chickens to contain the virus.
Georgia’s new cases occurred in a backyard flock in Henry County, southeast of Atlanta.
On Aug. 29, the owners reported “increased mortality” in their flock to the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The GDA said it responded and received a confirmed, positive test for H5N1 on Sept. 3.
To prevent further spread, the agency said it culled all remaining birds on the premises, a mix of about 45 turkey, geese and chickens. The GDA team also cleaned and disinfected the area.
The GDA believes the flock was likely infected by exposure to wild birds. There have been sporadic cases in wild birds in Georgia since the outbreak began more than three years ago, mostly in waterfowl, vultures and bald eagles, USDA tracking data shows.
Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper praised the agency’s response and urged all flock owners to “closely monitor the health of their birds and immediately report any suspected illness.”
Last year, a string of developments led to concern from some animal and public health officials that the virus was mutating in ways that could allow it to spread more efficiently to mammals, including humans.
For the first time ever, bird flu was detected in dairy cattle in Texas last March. Since then, cattle in 16 other states have tested positive for the virus. No cattle in Georgia have ever tested positive.
In the U.S., there have been a total of 70 cases in humans, resulting in one death. Most of those cases occurred in people exposed to infected dairy or poultry, but human detections have tapered off so far this year: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no human cases in the U.S. since February. The CDC says H5N1 poses a low risk to humans.
The GDA said it’s in close coordination with Georgia Department of Public Health officials to test and surveil individuals who may have had direct contact with the infected birds. All GDA staff who participated in the response to the Henry County flock will be observed for 10 days, the agency said.
About the Author
Drew Kann is a reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering climate change and environmental issues. His passion is for stories that capture how humans are responding to a changing environment. He is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia and Northwestern University, and prior to joining the AJC, he held various roles at CNN.
