ANDERSON (AP/FOX Carolina) -
The number of cases of West Nile virus is increasing in South Carolina, including three cases in the Upstate.
Chris Evans with the Department of Health and Environmental Control said there had been 28 cases of the mosquito-borne illness reported in the state as of last week. This week's figures are not yet available.
In the Upstate, there has been one case each in Anderson, Pickens and Spartanburg counties as of Thursday night, according to DHEC officials.
Evans said the state usually averages less than seven cases in a year.
Experts said dumping anything with standing water where mosquitoes breed is the best way to avoid the virus. They also suggest wearing long sleeves and pants, keeping screens on windows and using bug repellents.
DHEC said the illness can have flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, joint pain, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms develop three to 14 days after the person is infected. Most people who are infected do not get sick, but a few experience severe symptoms, according to DHEC.
Dr. Justin Moll, a pediatrician with Parkside Pediatrics, recommends people use insect repellant, wear long sleeves and long pants during dusk and dawn to avoid mosquitos.
Most of South Carolina's cases have been concentrated along the coast.
Copyright 2012 FOX Carolina (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A mosquito feeds on human blood. (CDC/Wikimedia Commons)
