BROWNSVILLE – Governor Greg Abbott is asking local Rio Grande Valley leaders to be ready for mosquito season, given the continued threat of Zika.

He met with mayors, school superintendents and health officials at the Brownsville UTRGV campus to talk about ways to contain the virus.

Abbott directed local leaders to step up their efforts to educate the public.

John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Department of State Health Services, is recommending that pregnant women in the Valley get tested for Zika periodically.

“It actually requires a really ideal set of conditions for Zika to really get to be a big problem. The way it is in some countries like Brazil and Puerto Rico. We have many advantages over those communities and in particular one of our biggest advantages is we are forewarned and we can take steps to avoid that level of disease,” he said.

Abbott said local leaders also need to take Zika awareness to schools by partnering with the districts to educate students and their parents.