Mosquito company brings jobs to Miss. to fight Zika
A Virginia-based mosquito control company plans to branch into Mississippi because of the threat of the Zika virus. To date, there are 23 reported cases of Zika in Mississippi, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. All cases have been travel-related.
Mosquito Joe, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is a franchised residential and commercial mosquito control company with 172 locations in 26 states.
The company recently decided to open five locations in Mississippi, including Jackson, according to Mosquito Joe Chief Operations Officer Brian Garrison. The locations include Jackson, Brandon, Gulfport and Biloxi. They are still searching for candidates to franchise each location, Garrison said.
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Garrison said the company decided to locate in Mississippi because "interest in mosquito control has spiked since Zika."
"We think Mississippi is a great market for us, We would love to get in there and help create jobs," Garrison said. "We can't solve the Zika problem, but we're part of the solution when it comes to mosquito control."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the aedes aegypti and the aedes albopictus varieties of mosquito can transmit Zika. Jerome Goddard, Extension professor of medical and veterinary entomology at Mississippi State University, previously told The Clarion-Ledger there is an abundance of aedes albopictus in the state.
The new business venture could create 75 jobs in Jackson alone, Garrison said. They hope to open by April 1, 2017.
Contact Sarah Fowler at sfowler@gannett.com or 601-961-7303. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.