Mosquitoes test positive for West Nile in Richland Co. communities

West Nile virus is confirmed in two places in Richland Co., after mosquitoes tested positive in Forest Acres and St. Andrews.

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — West Nile virus is confirmed in two places in Richland Co., after mosquitoes tested positive in Forest Acres and St. Andrews. Now, Richland Co. Vector Control is trying to minimize the spread of the virus.

“We’re covering not just the area where the viral activity was found, but any of the surrounding area as well,” said Tammy Brewer, Manager of Vector Control.

So far, they have sprayed for mosquitoes twice with another round Tuesday night.

“There’s way too much activity before midnight in the urban areas of Richland County for us to be able to run a spray truck properly. Cause we have to stop all the time, cause everybody’s out. We need for people though when they see us, to go inside,” said Brewer.

In order to protect yourself from mosquito bites this summer, things you can do include wearing light colors, emptying any standing water from your property, and spraying insect repellent.

“If you start feeling like you have the flu in the summertime, it’d be a good idea to go to the doctor and get checked out,” said Brewer.

One early indicator of the virus is a dead bird.

“It will look like it just fell out of the sky, or dropped out of a tree into your yard, and when you find that, that’s when we need to know,” said Brewer.

Local pest control companies, like Mosquito Joe Columbia, said it’s seeing an increase of homes wanting treatment for the bugs.

“We are actually anticipating about a 25% growth year, and the reason why is just the demand for it has just heightened,” said Samantha De Luna, General Manager of Mosquito Joe Columbia.

Private companies, and Richland Co., are working to keep families safe this summer.

“There have been multiple human incidents of West Nile, but only two that I know of that were fairly severe. We’ve been fortunate that there have been no fatalities yet,” said Brewer. “It initially arrived in 2003. It has been around, off and on, since then. It seems to have a stronger foothold now, it’s not going away so we need to protect ourselves.”

Vector Control will continue monitoring mosquitoes to see if the virus is spreading. If you find a dead bird that may appear to be infected, contact Vector Control at 803-929-6000.