January 30, 2025
www.gfb.org
Vol. 7 No. 2
HPAI CONFIRMED IN SECOND COMMERCIAL POULTRY FLOCK IN ELBERT CO. On Jan. 22, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a second positive case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a commercial poultry flock in Elbert County. The premises, referred to as Elbert 02, is located about 210 yards away from Elbert 01, the first positive commercial flock announced late Jan. 17 after detection on Jan. 15. Elbert 02 had approximately 130,000 broilers onsite. The first infected premise had about 45,000 broilers onsite at the time of detection. On Jan. 17, samples that were collected from the second commercial poultry operation for routine, premovement testing by the Georgia Poultry Lab Network returned a positive result for HPAI. The GDA was notified of the second positive result by the Georgia Poultry Lab Network on Jan. 17. That detection enabled GDA staff to initiate operations on the ground without waiting to receive additional confirmation from USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. Additional confirmation through NVSL is needed before an HPAI event is publicly announced, and that confirmation was received from NVSL late in the evening on Tuesday, Jan. 21. “The close proximity of the affected premises allowed our team to respond to both cases concurrently, and while those operations continue, our law enforcement officers are maintaining a secure perimeter to prevent further spread,” Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper said in a released statement. “I want to thank our team at the Georgia Department of Agriculture and our partners, who have worked 12-plus hour days during a holiday weekend in the bitter cold to protect our state’s No. 1 industry and the farm families who fuel its success.” The GDA’s Emergency Management & State Agricultural Response Team deployed immediately to the initially affected premises (Elbert 01) and expanded to include Elbert 02 to conduct depopulation, disposal, and cleaning and disinfecting operations. Operations occurred concurrently due to the close physical proximity and the positive detection at the Georgia Poultry Lab Network of the second location. Depopulation of Elbert 01 and Elbert 02 was completed in -continued on next page