TEXAS – As daily temperatures are increasing, before heading outside health officials nationwide are advising people to take extra precautions.

The Centers for Disease Control recently reported that mosquito and tick bite diseases have tripled.

Officials said one of the best lines of defense against bites is insect repellent.

In Texas, mosquitoes are a more prevalent threat. More than just an annoying itch, mosquito bites can bring diseases, like West Nile Virus.

Last year, five people were sick with West Nile in the Austin and San Antonio areas. 

Another disease that can accompany a mosquito bite is Zika Virus. Health officials said there were 55 cases of Zika in Texas last year, with six in the Austin-San Antonio area. All of the cases were travel related. 

So far in 2018 there has been a total of three Zika cases in North Texas Collin County. 

"We also want to warn people about travel, especially as you travel to the Caribbean, Mexico or Central or South America, where there's lots of local transmission of Zika to take precautions there," said Lara Anton with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The CDC warns that the peak time for mosquitoes with Zika are from dawn to dusk and from dusk to dawn for mosquitos with West Nile.

Precautions:

  • Wear long sleeves
  • Wear pants
  • Wear closed toed shoes
  • Tuck pants into socks
  • Carry insect repellent
  • Check entire body after adventuring outdoors
  • Remove attached ticks immediately