The Comal County Office of Public Health is urging residents to fight mosquito bites this spring after increasing rainfall and temperatures have raised the risk for mosquito-borne illnesses.

“Especially with the heavy rain we had last week, there’s still a lot of standing water throughout the county,” said Cheryl Fraser, Comal County director of public health, in an April 5 statement. “Mosquitoes can breed in just a capfull of water, so we encourage all residents to make sure they dump out any standing water on their property.”

To limit mosquito exposure, the office recommends wearing longsleeved shirts and pants, using EPA-registered insect repellents, using permethrin-treated clothing, eliminating standing water on property, staying in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms, and avoiding or limiting outdoor activities during peak mosquito times.

The precautions will help prevent the spread of the Zika and West Nile viruses, which are spread through mosquito bites. No cases of the Zika virus have been reported in Comal County since it arrived in Texas in 2016, but the county urges residents to be on alert for symptoms and take precautions, especially if pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

More information about the Zika virus can be found on the joint Comal County/City of New Braunfels Zika website, www.comalzika.org.