More than 200 South Dakota cities, counties and tribes will share in a half-million dollars in grants intended to control mosquitoes and prevent West Nile virus.
Administrator of public health preparedness and response for the state Department of Health Bill Chalcraft says South Dakota has a disproportionately high number of WNV cases when compared to other states. He says local mosquito control efforts play a vital role in protecting our communities.
Some central South Dakota towns receiving grants include:
- Blunt $1579
- Fort Pierre $2876
- Highmore $1500
- Chamberlain $2559
- Eagle Butte $4788
- Mobridge $3530
- Pierre $12,000
All applying communities received funding, with grants ranging from $500 to $20,000. Grant awards were based on the population of the applying jurisdiction and its history of human WNV cases through 2018.
Since its first human WNV case in 2001, the state has reported 2,601 human cases and 46 deaths. Every county has reported cases.
Including this latest round of grants, the state has provided local mosquito control programs with more than $8 million in support, in either direct grant funding or control chemicals, since the virus emerged in South Dakota.
A complete list of funded programs and grant amounts is available here. https://doh.sd.gov/documents/diseases/infectious/WNV2019GrantAwards.pdf
Visit westnile.sd.gov for prevention information and surveillance updates. https://doh.sd.gov/diseases/infectious/wnv/