For the first time in three years, High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) — better known as bird flu — has been detected in commercial poultry operations in Georgia. A news release by the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed that a positive bird flu case had been found in Elbert County, leading to statewide suspensions of poultry exhibitions, shows, swaps, meets, and sales.
The Scope of the Outbreak
“For the first time since the ongoing, nationwide outbreak began in 2022, HPAI has been confirmed in a commercial poultry operation in the state of Georgia,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper stated in a recent press release.
Two factors are responsible for the current spread of bird flu: contact with birds carrying the virus and the transportation of poultry.
While biosecurity measures remain incredibly stringent within the poultry farm industry, breaches have occurred in the U.S. as recently as 2015. Additionally, further sources of exposure have been traced to backyard farmers who face a higher barrier of prevention when it comes to protecting flocks.
“HPAI remains a serious threat to our state’s economy, Georgia’s #1 industry, and the health and safety of poultry in our state, and our team at the Georgia Department of Agriculture responded immediately,” Harper added.
Potential Risks to Human Health
Unlike recent U.S. outbreaks such as COVID-19 or Norovirus, which primarily spread through human-to-human transmission, the H5N1 virus’s unique bird-to-human transmission has raised questions about its threat to human infection.
Peter Kasson, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, whose research delves into how viruses gain entry to cells and the physical constraints on viral evolution, spoke about the current situation.
“Essentially, we don’t know whether there are fundamental reasons why it cannot transmit efficiently between people, or we don’t know if we’ve just been lucky thus far,” Kasson stated.
Previously, experts considered human infection sporadic and usually only linked to direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments. However, new cases in dairy cattle have given new cause for concern regarding the potential facilitation of human-to-human transmission.
“What’s, of course, concerned a lot of people recently has been the recent outbreaks in dairy cattle, which are mammals and much closer to humans, and that some of those viruses have had some of the mutations that are associated with adaptation to mammalian hosts, and have missed some of those mutations,” Kasson added.
Economic Impact and Rising Grocery Prices
In response to the sudden outbreak, an estimated 130,000 broilers — chickens specifically bred for meat production — have been culled to prevent the further spread of disease. As a result, substantial economic shifts in grocery prices have been noted, most dramatically in the sharp increases in egg prices.
For Tech students on campus specifically, this means drastically higher costs for eggs and egg-based products in local grocery store chains.
Pranav Viswanath, a third-year computer science student, spoke about the adverse effects he has felt in light of the growing egg shortage in Georgia.
“We live in a pretty expensive area, like downtown Atlanta, so you go to the local Publix, and your basic dairy, food, breakfast products—everything’s expensive, so it really just adds on top of the cost of living,” Viswanath stated.
As a California native, Viswanath noted the disproportionate effects many out-of-state and international students felt in the wake of steadily growing grocery prices.
“I think there are certain groups of people that stay in like really nice apartments and don’t worry about it as much, but some people, especially like out-of-state students or international kids, we’re a bit more conscious about how much we’re spending,” Viswanath continued.
