The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA – APHIS), has confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) at a commercial poultry operation in Gordon County.

This detection marks the third confirmed HPAI case in a commercial facility and the fifth overall detection in Georgia this year, underscoring the serious ongoing threat to the state’s primary agricultural industry.

The affected premises, which housed approximately 140,000 broiler chickens, immediately initiated depopulation, disposal, and disinfection measures starting Friday, October 24, 2025, with operations expected to continue through the weekend.

Quarantines Established to Contain Spread

In an urgent move to contain the virus, all commercial poultry operations located within a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) radius of the infected farm have been placed under mandatory quarantine. These operations will undergo intensive surveillance testing for a minimum period of two weeks.

“For the third time this year, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been confirmed in a commercial poultry operation here in Georgia,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper in a statement Friday. “This poses a serious threat to Georgia’s #1 industry and to the thousands of Georgians whose livelihoods depend on poultry production.”

Commissioner Harper confirmed that the GDA’s Emergency Management and State Agricultural Response Teams (SART) were deployed immediately following the confirmation. “Our team is working around the clock to contain the spread and protect our flocks,” he added.

Rapid Response Timeline

The discovery followed a rapid detection and confirmation process:

  • Wednesday, October 22, 2025: The producer first noticed clinical signs consistent with Avian Influenza in their flock.
  • Thursday, October 23, 2025: Samples were collected and transported to the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network (GPLN). The GPLN confirmed a positive HPAI detection late that evening.
  • Friday, October 24, 2025: The diagnosis was officially confirmed by the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL), triggering the immediate deployment of state response teams for containment and eradication.

Part of a Larger National Crisis

The new case in Gordon County adds to the growing count of infections across the United States since the nationwide HPAI outbreak began in 2022.

The highly contagious virus has devastated poultry populations globally. Nationally, more than 182 million birds have been affected and culled since the 2022 outbreak began. In Georgia specifically, prior detections this year had already resulted in the loss of 340,000 birds.

Authorities emphasize that HPAI primarily affects birds and generally poses a low risk to the public. However, the economic implications for the poultry and egg industries are significant. The GDA continues to urge producers to maintain strict biosecurity protocols and report any signs of sudden illness or death in their flocks immediately.