southbayer Posted August 14, 2016 #1 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I'm going to be cruising to Belize and Honduras in November.. I read multiple news stories about the Zika Virus coming from there recently... Should I be concerned or even debark there, kinda concerned... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springs741 Posted August 14, 2016 #2 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Are you in your child bearing years? Are you pregnant? While I am not a doctor I have kept up with CDC info regarding Zika as we travel frequently. For the most part if you are a healthy adult even if you get Zika you will be fine. Only you know if you are willing to risk exposure as there are always exceptions to the norms. Remember, sunscreen first let dry then insect repellent with deet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gremlinbangles Posted August 14, 2016 #3 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I think it's a valid question also. I read an article today that said in 2017 one in four in Puerto Rico will have the Zika virus. We are planning to go there in December and we are reconsidering. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firemanbobswife Posted August 14, 2016 #4 Share Posted August 14, 2016 If it's not Zika, it's something else. I don't play into the fear and panic of the latest and greatest disease that causes everyone to lose their minds. If you are pregnant or planning to have kids soon, then stay home. If not, use insect repellent if you worry about it. Won't be long before it spreads from Miami to the rest of the country. I guess people will be scared to go to work or get the mail without wearing a hazmat suit then. Look, I'm not dismissing it and saying people are wrong to be concerned, but I think that unless you plan to have kids or immune compromised, then it's not worth fretting over. There is always something out there that is just waiting to make you sick or die whether it be a mosquito or something else. We won't know what it is until it happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddybear231 Posted August 14, 2016 #5 Share Posted August 14, 2016 As long as you aren't pregnant, or plan to get pregnant within the 6 months after the trip you will be fine. Also, if you don't have any very young children (like toddler/infants). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoDidly Posted August 14, 2016 #6 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I say be aware of it, check with your doctor for further advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seago2 Posted August 14, 2016 #7 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Here, there's already a current thread on this that is pretty helpful: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2389272 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micahs Grandad Posted August 14, 2016 #8 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I say be aware of it, check with your doctor for further advice. good suggestion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Banditswife Posted August 14, 2016 #9 Share Posted August 14, 2016 We are not of child bearing years, so it hasn't affected our cruising, but we do carry insect repellant wipes into port with us. But as others have said.. ask your doctor, protect yourself w/ deet if you decide to cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maldenmusic Posted August 14, 2016 #10 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Just use common sense and lots of mosquito repellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPlayWithString Posted August 14, 2016 #11 Share Posted August 14, 2016 If it's not Zika, it's something else. . Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loxley Posted August 15, 2016 #12 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I'm going to be cruising to Belize and Honduras in November.. I read multiple news stories about the Zika Virus coming from there recently... Should I be concerned or even debark there, kinda concerned... I think you should cancel your cruise. It is the only way to be sure you will not contact it from one of the countries you visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldlewis45 Posted August 15, 2016 #13 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Personally, I wouldn't worry about it, unless you are or plan to become pregnant relatively soon. People are so freaked out by this disease, and I honestly don't see why (unless you're planning on having a family soon). It's basically a mild flu. There's a million and one other common mosquito-borne diseases out there that are just as bad or worse, and no one seems to be freaking out over those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satbeachbill Posted August 15, 2016 #14 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I think you should keep your booking, sell me the trip for $50 and I'll take all the risks for you! jk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Reid Posted August 15, 2016 #15 Share Posted August 15, 2016 If it's not Zika, it's something else. I don't play into the fear and panic of the latest and greatest disease that causes everyone to lose their minds. If you are pregnant or planning to have kids soon, then stay home. If not, use insect repellent if you worry about it. Won't be long before it spreads from Miami to the rest of the country. I guess people will be scared to go to work or get the mail without wearing a hazmat suit then. Look, I'm not dismissing it and saying people are wrong to be concerned, but I think that unless you plan to have kids or immune compromised, then it's not worth fretting over. There is always something out there that is just waiting to make you sick or die whether it be a mosquito or something else. We won't know what it is until it happens. Nope, not worth fretting over. Just another thing out there. Any more high-fives, String? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitecap Posted August 15, 2016 #16 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I'm going to be cruising to Belize and Honduras in November.. I read multiple news stories about the Zika Virus coming from there recently... Should I be concerned or even debark there, kinda concerned... southbayer; I see that you have posted a lot on CC and therefore have a lot of experience at how such questions will be answered. Here is my Two Cents: Ask your personal doctor! Although there is a lot of "advice" given on CC, I'm not too sure that anyone who has posted about Zika is a Medical Doctor and even if they said they were, and contrary to popular belief, you can't believe everything that is on the internet. CDC is a good source of general information, your personal doctor the best for personal advice. Should you decide to cruise, have a great time, should you choose to cancel let me know I'll pay $51 :D jk2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firemanbobswife Posted August 15, 2016 #17 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Nope, not worth fretting over. Just another thing out there. Any more high-fives, String? Maybe you should read my whole post again and understand it before quoting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylesplash Posted August 15, 2016 #18 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Remember, sunscreen first let dry then insect repellent with deet. They sell sunscreen with insect repellent in it ;) I plan to grab a bottle for my cruise in October. Bullfrog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Reid Posted August 15, 2016 #19 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Maybe you should read my whole post again and understand it before quoting it. I read it all - three times. I saw your honest disclaimer. But I still think it trivializes the incredible danger and consequences. This is not just the new thing. The results of microencephalitis are devastating. From the CDC: "Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person already infected with the virus. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to other people through bites." "Zika can be passed through sex from a person who has Zika to his or her partners. Zika can be passed through sex, even if the infected person does not have symptoms at the time. It can be passed from a person with Zika before their symptoms start, while they have symptoms, and after their symptoms end." "There have been multiple reports of blood transfusion transmission cases in Brazil." This ain't Norovirus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firemanbobswife Posted August 15, 2016 #20 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I read it all - three times. I saw your honest disclaimer. But I still think it trivializes the incredible danger and consequences. This is not just the new thing. The results of microencephalitis are devastating. From the CDC: "Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person already infected with the virus. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to other people through bites." "Zika can be passed through sex from a person who has Zika to his or her partners. Zika can be passed through sex, even if the infected person does not have symptoms at the time. It can be passed from a person with Zika before their symptoms start, while they have symptoms, and after their symptoms end." "There have been multiple reports of blood transfusion transmission cases in Brazil." This ain't Norovirus. And there's Dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile, etc. My point is that UNLESS you are planning on having kids anytime soon, you should take normal precautions (such as the proper bug repellent) and not be paranoid. If you are wanting to make babies, then maybe you need to rethink cruising. I'm not so therefore I will not be losing sleep over it. It's already in the US so it's just a matter of time until it spreads countrywide. Then it won't matter if you go cruising or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitecap Posted August 15, 2016 #21 Share Posted August 15, 2016 And there's Dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile, etc. My point is that UNLESS you are planning on having kids anytime soon, you should take normal precautions (such as the proper bug repellent) and not be paranoid. If you are wanting to make babies, then maybe you need to rethink cruising. I'm not so therefore I will not be losing sleep over it. It's already in the US so it's just a matter of time until it spreads countrywide. Then it won't matter if you go cruising or not. I agree with "firemanbobswife; take the proper precautions. I once went to the mountains and while there found a tick on my leg so I stopped going to the mountains; a couple years later a friend asked me to go back and told me about a sure fire way to keep ticks off your leg, tuck your pants in your socks, BAM, I went back to the mountains; another time, while on a hike in the rain forest on St. Lucia, I got poison ivy on my butt so I stopped hiking until a friend told me how to prevent that from happening again, he said stop hiking naked, BAM, back to the rain forest I went. Take proper precautions. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winddawn Posted August 15, 2016 #22 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) I'm going to be cruising to Belize and Honduras in November.. I read multiple news stories about the Zika Virus coming from there recently... Should I be concerned or even debark there, kinda concerned... While the pregnancy concern is more well known, there are other less common risks such as GBS. Only you can decide if that is a risk you're willing to assume after reading about the potential infection risk and consequences. "Current CDC research suggests that Zika also is strongly associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare disorder that can cause muscle weakness and paralysis for a few weeks to several months. Only a small proportion of people with recent Zika virus infection get GBS. Most people fully recover from GBS, but some have permanent damage. For more information, see Zika and GBS." http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/travelers-vfr-chikungunya-dengue-zika That being said, I have a cruise booked for those ports too, and I do not plan to get off the ship. My reasoning is because the area close to the ship and places I might visit have pretty dense vegetation which is associated with mosquitoes. Plus, I've been to those ports before multiple times so it's not a big deal to me. You have to decide your own risk tolerance. Best wishes for an informed decision you're comfortable with. Edited August 15, 2016 by winddawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firemanbobswife Posted August 16, 2016 #23 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Here's the latest from Carnival regarding this matter: IMPORTANT INFORMATION ZIKA VIRUS HEALTH ADVISORY August 16, 2016 Dear Carnival Guest, We would like to provide you with some important health-related information to share with your clients. On January 15, 2016, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) upgraded their Zika virus travel health notice to "Alert Level 2", (Practice Enhanced Precautions) with specific affected areas of the Caribbean and Central and South America. You may have received our previous communications providing this information. However, we wanted to make you aware that as of August 11, 2016, the CDC notice now includes Grand Cayman among the affected areas. For the most up-to-date information on the Zika virus and countries affected, please visit the website: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices. Zika virus is spread primarily through mosquitoes, which mainly bite during daytime hours. Symptoms of Zika typically develop 3-12 days after being bitten and may include fever, headache, skin rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from 2-7 days and most people who contract Zika experience no symptoms at all. Comprehensive health information can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html. There has been a recent increase in poor pregnancy outcomes among mothers who contracted Zika during pregnancy. These cases are being reported in areas where Zika virus outbreaks have occurred. Knowledge of the link between Zika and these outcomes is still developing. For this reason, the CDC Advisory particularly impacts women who are pregnant and women who are trying to become pregnant. The CDC advisory recommends that women who are pregnant in any trimester consider postponing travel to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. If pregnant women do opt to travel to Zika affected areas, the CDC recommends talking to their healthcare provider in advance and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during their trip. Specific guidance for women who are trying to become pregnant is also included in the CDC advisory. More information can be found here: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy/question-answers.html . There is no vaccine to prevent Zika Fever however individuals can reduce their risk of contracting Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses by following these steps prior to going ashore: Apply insect repellent which contains one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin (KBR 3023), Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus/PMD, or IR3535. If both sunscreen and insect repellent is used, apply the sunscreen first and then the repellent. Repellent is available for purchase from the shops on board. Wear a loose, long-sleeved shirt and long pants, preferably of a light color to minimize the likelihood of being bitten. Should you experience any symptoms of fever, headache, skin rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes) while sailing with us, please contact the ship's Medical Center or your doctor once you have returned home. Be sure to let your physician know about your recent travel. Like you, we take all health issues seriously, and we hope this information is helpful. Thank you for taking the time to read this important information. Sincerely, Dr. Adriana Yates, MD Acting Medical Director Carnival Cruise Line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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