DSHS issues precautions

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is reminding Texans that the arrival of fall does not mean they should relax their guard against mosquito bites.

"In most of Texas, we wouldn't know it was fall without a calendar," said Tom Sidwa, a veterinarian and manager of DSHS' zoonosis control program. "Temperatures remain high, and mosquitoes are still very active."

He said 30 percent of the state's 1,700 West Nile cases from 2002 - 2006 became ill after Aug. 31.

Mosquitoes can carry viruses that cause West Nile, dengue fever, western equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis.

Sidwa offered the following precautions to reduce the risk of mosquitoborne infection.

t Use an insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

t Drain standing water from around homes. Empty cans, buckets, tires, rain gutters and flower pot bases regularly. Change the water in pet bowls, bird baths and wading pools several times a week.

t Mosquito-proof houses. Make sure door seals are secure and window screens are intact.

t Limit the amount of time spent outdoors from dusk to dawn when many species of mosquitoes are most active.

t Cover as much skin as comfortable when outdoors.