Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Small, Backyard Flock in Georgia

Fri, Jan 10 2025

Atlanta, Ga - On January 9, 2025, the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed a positive case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a small, backyard flock (non-poultry) located in Clayton County, Georgia, and comprised of 13 chickens and ducks. This is the third detection of HPAI in a backyard flock and fourth overall detection in Georgia since the ongoing nationwide outbreak began in February 2022.

"As the ongoing, nationwide HPAI outbreak continues, implementing and maintaining strict biosecurity measures has never been more important," said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. "To date, the ongoing outbreak has impacted more than 133 million birds nationwide and less than .025% of those birds have been from Georgia, the nation's top poultry producer - that speaks to the effectiveness of biosecurity and the importance of the work our animal health professionals and poultry producers are doing every single day to ensure the safety of their animals, employees, and operations."

During late December 2024, the flock owners observed increased mortality, with three birds expiring over a short period of time. The carcasses were refrigerated and sent to the Georgia Poultry Lab Network (GPLN) on January 6th, 2025, for testing. On Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, GPLN testing confirmed a positive case of HPAI, and this result was further confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Lab (NVSL) on Friday, January 10th. Further genomic sequencing on the samples is being conducted at NVSL.

Officials from the Georgia Department of Agriculture visited the affected premises on Thursday, January 9th, 2024, to complete depopulation, cleaning & disinfection, and disposal operations to mitigate further spread of the disease. The affected premises was located within a residential neighborhood and in close proximity to a manmade lake that is frequented by wild birds, particularly waterfowl which are known carriers of HPAI. It is most likely transmission occurred via interaction with wild birds or from viral material shed by wild birds into the environment. There are no commercial poultry or dairy cattle operations located within a 10 Kilometer (6.2 mile) radius around the affected premises.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture maintains a close working relationship with the Georgia Department of Public Health - the state's lead human health agency. DPH is coordinating with local public health officials to conduct appropriate testing and surveillance with individuals who may have had direct contact with the affected animals. Georgia Department of Agriculture staff who visited the affected premises conducted operations in Level C PPE and followed strict biosecurity protocols. Out of an abundance of caution, Department employees that were onsite will participate in a 10-day surveillance period.

Owners of poultry flocks are strongly encouraged to closely observe their birds and report a sudden increase in the number of sick birds or bird deaths to the Avian Influenza Hotline at 770-766-6850. More information is available on the Department's website (link). For more updates and information regarding biosecurity tips visit:

Protect Your Flock (Georgia Dept. of Ag)
Defend the Flock - Resource Center (USDA APHIS)
AI Information for Hunters (USDA)
Avian Influenza FAQ
Protect Your Livelihood PDF

• Category

• Avian Influenza

• Category

• Animal Health & Diseases

Media contacts

• Matthew Agvent,Communications Director
• Liz Rivera-Brown,Deputy Communications Director

Georgia Department of Agriculture
Tyler J Harper, Commissioner
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30334