Georgia
2nd case of bird flu detected at Georgia poultry farm, quarantine continues
Lohmann Brown chickens stand in a barn at Meadow Haven Farm, a certified organic family run farm, in Sheffield, Illinois(Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
ELBERT COUNTY, Ga. – A second case of bird flu has been detected in a commercial poultry producer in Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture reported on Wednesday that the agency detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at a commercial poultry producer in Elbert County. It’s the second case reported in the county in less than a week.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said the virus is a “serious threat” to the Georgia poultry industry, the largest industry in the state.
The backstory:
The virus has been detected five times previously in Georgia, but in backyard flocks other than the prior case in Elbert County.
Wednesday’s report is the third case of the virus detected in Georgia in 2025. The first was found among 13 chickens and ducks earlier this month in Clayton County.
In a release by the Department of Agriculture, officials say that they were notified of the second positive result on Friday and the case was confirmed by the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory late Tuesday night.
Authorities say the second case was around 210 yards away from the first positive commercial case and that the site, known by the name “Elbert 02” had around 130,000 broilers.
What they’re saying:
“Our team at the Georgia Department of Agriculture responded immediately to start depopulation, disposal, and cleaning & disinfecting operations,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “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. I want to thank our team at the Georgia Department of Agriculture and our partners, who have been working 12+ hour days during a holiday weekend in the bitter cold to protect our state’s #1 industry and the farm families who fuel its success.”
What’s next:
Bird flu: Georgia shuts down poultry sales
The bird flu outbreak has forced Georgia officials to stop all poultry sales. The state’s first reported case popped up in a flock in east Georgia. Here’s what we know so far.
All commercial poultry operations within a 6.2-mile radius are under quarantine and will undergo testing for at least two weeks. Officials say the close proximity of the two sites means that the previous quarantine does not need to be expanded.
The state has suspended all poultry activity for sales, including auctions, flea markets, and livestock markets.
The sale of poultry products like meat and eggs and poultry production have not been suspended at this time.
Big picture view:
Bird flu has been spreading, killing millions of wild and domestic birds worldwide over the last two years, among other animals.
Nationwide, the virus has been detected in 84 commercial and backyard flocks in the last month, with 10.7 million birds on those sites, according to the latest online data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It has also been confirmed in dozens of dairy farms.
While human cases are rare and are mostly found among farmworkers, one person has died from bird flu — a Louisiana man over the age of 65 who was hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms.
The Source: Information for this story came from a release by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, previous FOX 5 reporting, and the Associated Press.
Georgia Tech LB Kyle Efford was in Charlotte today representing the Yellow Jackets and talked to the media on Thursday at ACC Media Days. Here is what he had to say.
On being more of a vocal leader…
“Oh, man, it’s changed a lot. I’m at that point now where I’m in my redshirt senior year, man, my fifth year. I have no other option but to be a vocal leader and to lead my team by example, but also, if I need to speak up, I’ll speak up.”
On benefiting from Jason Semore as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach…
“Yes, sir. So Coach Semore is not only the best coordinator in the country, but he’s the best linebackers coach in the country. And his defense is made for linebackers to run the show, be the quarterbacks, get us in and out of defenses. And that’s what I’m willing to go for the defense, for the best of the team.
Coach Semore, he definitely has enigmatic defenses. His major thing is offenses are not the same from the 1990s. Why are the defenses the same? That’s his major point. I can see how it’s going to be great.”
On the consistency of his game…
“Man, just effort to the football. It ain’t nothing but seeing the ball and running the ball every single play.I mean, it’s one thing when you know what you’re doing, but it’s another thing when you empty the tank on every single play. And that’s all I’ve been doing, and the results show.”
On how to improve the run defense…
“Oh, man, across the board, from the first level, second level, third level. There’s always places to develop. I mean, I feel like from our big guys getting vertical, cutting the ball off, to taking double-teams, to the backers, you know, filling gaps, going sideline to sideline all the way to the back and communicating and getting down. There’s room for development everywhere. There’s not one specific area. But I feel like we need to develop across the board.”
On how his brother playing soccer allows him to think differently…
“Yeah, I mean, my brother taught me what it takes to be a pro. I mean, growing up from as far as I can remember, he showed me my work ethic. I was probably in second, third grade, and he was getting me up 5:00 in the morning to go outside and work out with him.I mean, he and my father essentially made me who I am, showed me what it takes to play at a high level.”
On rivalry vs Georgia…
“We Georgia Tech men, it doesn’t matter to us. Bobby Dodd, in between the hedges, Piedmont Park. It don’t matter. We’re a group of guys wired like that. We don’t like to (indiscernible) on the road. We want to get them boys, and I’m sure we will.”
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CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. — Animal shelters in Northwest Georgia are running out of space, with Catoosa and Walker County unable to take in more animals as the number of strays rises during the summer months.
Catoosa County officials say the county’s animal shelter is maxed out and can no longer accept animals.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
The shelter has room for 80 pets but is currently over capacity, limiting how much it can help when large animal rescues happen in nearby areas.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but I can say that working in animal care, summertime is definitely one of the worst times for us and for the animals more,” Abby Lynch, the community outreach and kennel officer for the Catoosa County Animal Shelter says.
Catoosa County officials say summer is when dogs and cats breed because the weather is nice, leading to more strays than usual.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
The Walker County Animal Shelter is also dealing with capacity issues.
The shelter says it has brought in 73 animals since the beginning of July.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
“In that same time, we have done 28 adoptions, which 28 adoptions in two weeks sounds great. But when you’re doing the math of 73 animals in and 28 animals going out, not super great,” says Melissa Smith, director of the Walker County Animal Shelter.
Catoosa County has helped neighboring counties during past crises.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
“We’ve assisted Dade County in the past with similar situations, and that’s when really rescues and shelters help each other,” says Dylan McColollum, director of Catoosa County Animal Control.
Dade County only got an animal shelter this year.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
In Georgia, only 61 out of 159 counties have animal shelters, making it more important for shelters to have enough capacity to help their own communities and assist neighboring counties when needed.
“We’re just grateful that we have our own shelter and can take care of our our county and its needs, and we’re happy to assist if other counties need our assistance,” McColollum says.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
Adoptions at the Catoosa County Animal Shelter are currently free because of donors. See available animals here.
They were designed to hold a drink, but cups produced in Rome, Georgia, have become one of the FIFA Men’s World Cup’s most unexpected souvenirs.
Inside the Top Cup plant in Rome, millions of cups were created to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We made 10 million over 70 different graphics for the World Cup,” said Rome native and Top Cup General Manager Zach Dixon.
The plant in north Georgia produces up to 750,000 cups a day.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup … but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Top Cup CEO David Cuthbert.
Fans have been taking them home from matches. Some have even been listed for sale online.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup… but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Cuthbert.
Dixon said they begin the process with massive coils of aluminum, each weighing about 30,000 pounds. The metal is stamped, stretched, washed, and moved down the line.
The plant produces about 1,100 cups every minute.
Ricardo Marques, the senior vice president of marketing for Michelob ULTRA, said that there have been venue-specific, match-specific, and Finals-specific stadium cups for the World Cup. There are also three separate red, white, and blue designs available for fans at bars and restaurants around the U.S.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to the collection. Together, these commemorative cups give fans a unique keepsake and a lasting reminder of an unforgettable FIFA World Cup experience and the moments that brought millions of people together through the world’s game,” Marques said.
Cuthbert said his company has seen how the World Cup has done wonders for metro Atlanta businesses.
“Our team in Rome, Georgia takes tremendous pride in helping bring this fan experience to life for one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” he said.
So when soccer fans celebrate the surprise victory or mourn their last-minute loss, they’re doing so with a little piece of Georgia.
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