Bird Flu Outbreak at Georgia Farm Means 30K Ducks Will Be Euthanized

The first cases in 2023 of avian flu, also known as bird flu, have been confirmed at a duck breeding facility in Sumter County, Georgia, Fox 5 reported Thursday.

The farm’s outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was detected by officials with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the outlet said:

Bird flu outbreak confirmed at South Georgia duck farm https://t.co/IpjSoyAy67

— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) November 23, 2023

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the farm was quarantined, and 30,000 ducks will be euthanized to stop the virus from infecting other fowl:

The impacted farm was quarantined, and officials will have to euthanize about 30,000 ducks to prevent the highly contagious virus from spreading among other water fowl. The deadly virus has been detected this year in wild birds in Georgia and other states. https://t.co/77CCDoyre7

— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) November 23, 2023

“According to officials, the flock’s owner contacted authorities after they noticed signs of neurological impairment and multiple deaths over the weekend,” the Fox article said. However, the virus does not pose a risk to the food supply, and none of the animals infected were sold for consumption, the outlet noted, citing officials.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website explains that HPAI “viruses cause severe disease and high mortality in infected poultry.”

In a recent statement, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said:

Our team of Animal Health Specialists responded immediately by quarantining the affected premises, beginning depopulation of all birds on site to prevent further spread of the disease, and they continue to monitor all other flocks within the control area. While HPAI does not represent a significant threat to humans or the safety of our food supply, its impact on poultry is devastating, and we’ll continue to work overtime with our partners at APHIS to protect Georgia’s poultry industry.

In October, highly pathogenic bird flu popped up in U.S. commercial poultry flocks at a turkey farm in South Dakota and another in Utah, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Per the recent Fox article, “Officials say they’ve also received positive cases of the virus from Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida in recent weeks and believe wild birds are the source of the virus.”