State and federal health officials are warning travelers headed to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro to take precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes in order to avoid contracting Zika.

“If people avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, they will substantially reduce their risks of contracting Zika virus and bringing it back to Hawaii,” state Health Department Director Dr. Virginia Pressler said in a news release Tuesday. “We don’t have locally transmitted Zika here, and we must do whatever we can to keep it that way.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises women who are pregnant against traveling to Brazil because of the potential for the Zika virus to trigger birth defects.

The federal agency has issued a Level 2 Travel Alert, advising all travelers to take precautions against the mosquito-borne virus while traveling in areas where it is being transmitted.

“We wish Hawaii residents going to Brazil for the Olympic Games safe travels, and urge them to heed travel warnings by preparing carefully and doing what they can to prevent mosquito bites,” Pressler said.

Along with Central and South America, local transmission of Zika has been reported on Pacific islands, including Samoa, American Samoa, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.

Hawaii’s climate is conducive to mosquitoes, but so far no one has contracted Zika while in the islands.

Mosquitoes pick up the virus when they bite an infected person and pass it on to the next person they bite. It can also spread from an infected person to sexual partners and from a pregnant woman to her developing baby.

To avoid mosquito bites, health officials advise:

>> Using an EPA-registered insect repellent with 20 percent to 30 percent DEET.

>> Wearing light-colored long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and shoes.

>> Avoiding activity at sunrise and sunset when mosquitoes are most active.

>> Avoiding shady, damp locations and standing water where mosquitoes are active.

For up-to-date travel information visit cdc.gov/travel. For more information on Zika and Hawaii, visit 808ne.ws/2aLVMJI.