HPAI Confirmed in Georgia and UK Poultry

Authorities confirmed separate highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in the United Kingdom and the United States. In Suffolk, H5N1 was detected at a commercial poultry premises near Lakenheath; Defra ordered culling of all birds and imposed a 3 km protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone, the first confirmed East of England case since August. In Georgia, USDA and state officials confirmed HPAI at a commercial broiler operation in Gordon County that housed about 140,000 birds; it is the state’s third commercial and fifth overall detection this year. Georgia teams carried out depopulation, disposal, cleaning and disinfection, placed all commercial operations within a 10 km (6.2-mile) radius under quarantine, and will conduct surveillance testing for at least two weeks. Officials said human risk is low but warned the outbreak, ongoing since 2022, has affected more than 182 million birds nationwide — about 340,000 in Georgia — posing a serious economic threat to the poultry industry.