West Nile Bird Death in Oconee

WALHALLA — Oconee County Emergency Management was notified by SC Department of Health and Environmental Control officials of the county’s first West Nile bird death case earlier last week. The deceased bird was found in central Oconee County, near the Poplar Springs community, according to Emergency Management Director Scott Krein. The exact location has not been released by officials at this time, but is not in a densely populated area of the county. To increase public safety and decrease the potential for mosquito larvae to continue in development, the County has contracted with Gregory Pest Solutions, and will begin treating for mosquitos a half mile around the area where the bird was located. This action is a precautionary measure to reduce the chance of disease spreading. FourStar Briquets will be placed around the area for Larvicide reduction. This type of treatment is less evasive than aerial spraying and more effective with the cooler temperatures. Below are two links DHEC has provided to ease any public concern regarding ecological safety information related to the Larvicide. The treatments begin Monday October 29th 2018, unless rainfall is occurring for a majority of the day.

ACTIVE INGREDIENT LIST: https://www.centralmosquitocontrol.com/-/media/files/centralmosquitocontrolna/us/specimen%20labels/fourstar%20briquet%20-%2090%20specimen%20label.pdf

MORE INFORMATION:

Go to SCDHEC.gov<http://SCDHEC.gov>, search West Nile Virus for additional information.