Tag Archives: Richland County

DHEC Recognizes Black History Month

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As we celebrate Black History Month this February, DHEC would like to take this opportunity to honor the past and present achievements of African Americans who have and are making a difference in the  environmental, health care and public health fields.

To help us in this pursuit, we have worked with our programs and will be featuring individuals throughout this month who have worked to help achieve our shared vision of healthy people living in healthy communities. This includes a featured post each week highlighting the past and current work of African Americans who have made and/or are making a difference in the Palmetto State and beyond, including members of our own DHEC team.

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DHEC in the News: Flu, West Nile, Narcan

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

DHEC to start offering flu vaccines Monday

Now is a good time to get a flu shot, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Beginning Monday, DHEC county public health departments will begin offering the flu vaccine.

It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the antibodies to develop in the body that protect against the flu, Dr. Teresa Foo, DHEC immunization medical consultant, said in a statement.

Richland County facing most active West Nile season in more than a decade

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – The most active West Nile season in at least half a decade – maybe even more than a decade – is how the director of Richland County Vector Control describes 2017 in her county.

“This has been the most intense activity since it arrived here in around 2003,” said Tammy Brewer, the director.

Wednesday, the county office put out an urgent plea to citizens. West Nile is out there, so protect yourself.

Officers being armed with life-saving drug

From a routine traffic stop to medical emergency in someone’s home, law enforcement officers are confronted with deadly drugs routinely.

“The drugs are more prominent on the street,” Mt. Pleasant Chief of Police, Carl Ritchie, explained.  “It can kill an officer by just touching it.”

That’s why Chief Ritchie says the Town of Mt. Pleasant approved police to carry nasal spray Narcan this week.

DHEC in the News: West Nile, shark bites, eclipse

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

As more mosquito pools test positive for West Nile, Midlands residents advised to protect themselves

COLUMBIA, SC — State health officials reported more West Nile-positive mosquito pools in Richland County this year than all other areas of the state combined.

As of August 15, 22 virus-positive pools were found in Richland County compared to 9 each in Greenville and Beaufort counties and 2 in York County, DHEC reported on its 2017 West Nile map. More birds in this area have tested positive for the virus as well.

Area governments have announced aggressive spraying campaigns to keep mosquito populations in check but citizens are encouraged to take responsibility for their own and their family’s health.

8 confirmed shark bites this summer on Hilton Head. Why so many?

Carrie Rogiers was shocked to find out a shark was responsible for the “Freddy-Krueger-like” marks on her daughter’s left foot.

The bite came July 20 as 8-year-old Ellie, of Fort Thomas, Ky., was swimming in shallow water on Hilton Head Island’s South Forest Beach.

“Something bit me,” the child shouted as she ran from the surf.

General Interest

Could a cloudy eclipse day mean a mass exodus – and traffic nightmare – for Columbia?

COLUMBIA, SC — As hard as it is to predict what Columbia will be like for Monday’s once-in-a-lifetime total eclipse, a questionable weather forecast isn’t making it any easier.

If it’s cloudy in the capital city, it’s possible many of the tens or even hundreds of thousands of people expected in town could consider fleeing on short notice to find clearer vantage points – perhaps to the Upstate.

That could mean a “nightmare” on the roads, said Tiffany Wright, a spokeswoman for AAA Carolinas.

DHEC in the News: Richland County dams, West Nile, Atlantic storm

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Richland County dams show signs of improvement nearly 2 years post flood

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – As the two-(year) anniversary of the devastating October flood creeps near, a lengthy list of damaged and destroyed dams shrinks.

According to South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control, six of the 24 dams within the Gills Creek Watershed have been repaired, including the Spring Lake Dam where the road connecting neighbors on each side of the lake was reopened 20 months post-flood.

Mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus still being monitored in Beaufort Co.

BEAUFORT CO., SC (WTOC) – The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says they are still closely monitoring Beaufort County after mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile Virus in late June.

They say while it’s not uncommon for some of their trapped mosquitoes to test positive, they are still taking all of the appropriate steps to make sure local residents are not at risk.

General Interest

Atlantic storm could mean tropical threat for South Carolina

Another bedeviling storm in the far Atlantic Ocean off Africa should turn into a tropical system by the end of the week, U.S. forecasters said Monday. This one is a wait-and-watch for the Southeast coast.

It could become the fourth named storm of the hurricane season.

The National Hurricane Center put the odds at 70 percent that it could become a tropical depression — a storm not as powerful as a tropical storm — within five days.