Two confirmed cases of Zika in Williamson County, how to protect yourself

It sounds easy spray, to keep the mosquitoes away but with heavy rain in comes more mosquitoes. According to the Texas Department of State Health services as of the week of July 3rd, there are two confirmed cases of the Zika virus in Williamson County.

Officials say the cases are travel related but doctors urge folks to take precaution.

"We live in Dripping Springs lots of mosquitos, insects and several others that we had to contend with to work in the area so we minimize the risk and didn't have the exposure. So the most important thing is proactive work." Dr. Garcia-Beach says that includes checking see if there are any holes in screen doors that need to be patched up to keep the mosquitoes out. She says if you have babies, always have mosquito nets ready for travel so their strollers and cribs are protected too.

"It's important to be cognizant of the symptoms for the mosquito borne illnesses because they're different from the complications."

The safest and most effective repellant she says to use is 30% oil of lemon eucalyptus.

It has the capability of extracting mosquitoes and preventing diseases.

One application lasts about 6 hours so it's important to apply as needed.

There haven't been any confirmed cases of the West Nile Virus in the Central Texas area this year, but Houston and Dallas have had a few cases. Also, according to pest control company Orkin, Austin ranked number 20 in the top cities with the most mosquitoes in May.

Recently in cities like Houston and Corpus Christi, local government mosquito control teams are expanding their spray schedules to help keep the insects away. 

We reached out to the City of Austin to see if they're doing anything similar and we haven’t heard back, however you can always call 311 to report a mosquito issue.

"With it being a lot of rain this weekend and stagnant water is important to make sure that any buckets, pans or any items that accumulate water are either cleaned out or tossed out if not used,” Dr. Garcia-Beach says. No matter how prepared one person is, they're always at risk of being bitten.

Dr. Garcia-Beach says symptoms of mosquito borne illnesses could appear as early as a few days after an insect bite. For expecting parents, this could be extremely traumatic.

She says symptoms of those mosquito borne illnesses could be: severe headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, confusion, pink eye and the list goes on.

She says to visit a doctor immediately if you think you've been impacted.