Zika - ugh

[cruisinfanatic]

Wow, pregnant and in Haiti [emoji15]

 

 

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So?

[firerecruit71295]

If you aren't pregnant and have no chance of getting pregnant than you have nothing to worry about... Could you get Zika? Of course but besides the minor symptoms you would experience you would have no long term affects (check out the CDC website)

 

My wife and I cruise a couple times a year and are actively trying to get pregnant. We spoke with her OB about it and she said to not change our lifestyle over the fear of something that "could possibly happen"

 

I don't want this to turn into a big Zika debate but my wife and I decided to go about our life but to take some preventative action with getting some bug spray that had a high amount of Deet... Which of course has the possibility of causing cancer... but we figure its only for a week so whats the worst that could happen.

 

https://www.amazon.com/OFF-01849-Deep-Woods-Sportsmen/dp/B0000CBJBD

 

That's the stuff we bought. Highest DEET content we could find. Never saw or got bit by a bug then entire trip.

 

Go enjoy your cruise!!!

[Jenjer]

My son has been allergic to mosquitos he was Dx at 3 after they thought he had MRSA. So its not like a welt or huge welt like I get, its like I carry a epi pen for mosquitos. He has to be treated immediately or it can get bad. Thankfully as he is now a teenager he has either not been bit or is doing better with it. His limb will still swell for a few hours but no throat swelling up.

 

 

Defiantly follow the CDC guidelines Since we can not put deet on his head and face. He has a fabric hat and we spray the hell out of it. He wears clothing to cover him between going to the beach and back. We have a personal off fan we set up at our beach chairs....no idea if it works but hey its small and easy. At home we use the off lanterns and they work like a charm.

 

Mosquitos do not like breezes so if the wind is blowing they are not around.

 

We have been on 10 cruises and while he is the only one we always cover in bug spray none of us have ever been bit on a cruise. In fact we don't generally even see mosquitos. Now we pretty much only do beach excursions and we reapply the bug spray to him just like sunscreen. We would never to a evening excursion or a rain forest excursion, but like I have said mosquitos are rare in the ocean breezes.

 

 

Its your decision but just like the weather you can not stop bugs 100% no matter what you do.

[JVilleGal]

Updated by CDC March 10, 2017

 

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/haiti

 

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/alert/zika-virus-haiti

[leela14]

I was on a Caribbean cruise in the height of Zika panic last summer. We left from Puerto Rico and spent 4 days there after the cruise including a visit to the rainforest. I bought mosquito repellent wrist bands and super duper insect repellent with Picaridin that I found on line. No bites, only time I ever saw a mosquito was when I stupidly left the hotel room sliding door open with the lights on at night and invited all the bugs in!

We will be on Allure in July, I'll just get the wrist bands and repellent again. I am more concerned about bringing it home in my blood to our hometown mosquitos than getting sick.

 

 

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I'm going to use the highest percentage of DEET I can find but what are these wristbands? Never heard of those before.... ?

 

 

 

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[leela14]

If you aren't pregnant and have no chance of getting pregnant than you have nothing to worry about... Could you get Zika? Of course but besides the minor symptoms you would experience you would have no long term affects (check out the CDC website)

 

 

 

My wife and I cruise a couple times a year and are actively trying to get pregnant. We spoke with her OB about it and she said to not change our lifestyle over the fear of something that "could possibly happen"

 

 

 

I don't want this to turn into a big Zika debate but my wife and I decided to go about our life but to take some preventative action with getting some bug spray that had a high amount of Deet... Which of course has the possibility of causing cancer... but we figure its only for a week so whats the worst that could happen.

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/OFF-01849-Deep-Woods-Sportsmen/dp/B0000CBJBD

 

 

 

That's the stuff we bought. Highest DEET content we could find. Never saw or got bit by a bug then entire trip.

 

 

 

Go enjoy your cruise!!!

thanks for the info. I thought there were neurological symptoms that you could get aside from pregnancy risks?

 

 

 

 

 

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[mram]

There are also reports on Zika in Florida.

 

 

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[wanderlust79]

I'm going to use the highest percentage of DEET I can find but what are these wristbands? Never heard of those before.... ?

 

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You can find repellent wristbands on amazon. There are a lot to choose from, but here is an example: Repellent bracelets. We used these as a supplement to our regular repellent sprays. :)

[markeb]

thanks for the info. I thought there were neurological symptoms that you could get aside from pregnancy risks?

 

 

 

 

 

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I can't find a specific citation, but Tony Fauci, director of the (US) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, has mentioned this in interviews cautioning that microcephaly in infants was not the only potential complication of Zika.

 

Consumer Reports just published a study on repellants. Their highest rating went to Sawyer Picaridin (the bulk of the review is available without a CR subscription). Their study also found that the wristbands failed almost immediately.

 

Without attempting a graduate seminar in entomology (not one but have studied it), it's important to remember that the mosquitoes that transmit Zika (and Dengue and Chikungunya) are largely daytime biters, breed in very small quantities of water (such as flower pots) and live around human dwellings. This is different from the mosquitoes that transmit malaria. I've not seen studies of transmission of Zika away from human dwellings, such as the mosquitoes you find in the dense vegetation in the Americas.

 

I have a fair amount of professional skepticism as we still don't know a lot about why Zika now causes problems it wasn't historically associated with, but I do think that appropriate caution, which so far is careful use of appropriate mosquito repellants, is a reasonable precaution. And "don't worry if you're not pregnant or intend to become pregnant" MAY not fully address the risks.

[Coralc]

Just use Deet products. The problem is not your individual risk or whether you are of childbearing age.

 

If you are infected with Zika virus while on vacation, you will bring it back to your home state. The risk is that you are bitten back at home by a mosquito, that may spread it to people that are of child bearing age or their partners.

 

I agree that it is a rare thing....and it seems to no longer be a news story. :rolleyes: I have more of a problem with no see ums. Major problem.

[Langley Cruisers]

I have more of a problem with no see ums. Major problem.

 

Me too! Ooof. Major problem with them in Exuma, Bahamas. Couldn't go out after dusk. :D

[leela14]

Just use Deet products. The problem is not your individual risk or whether you are of childbearing age.

 

 

 

If you are infected with Zika virus while on vacation, you will bring it back to your home state. The risk is that you are bitten back at home by a mosquito, that may spread it to people that are of child bearing age or their partners.

 

 

 

I agree that it is a rare thing....and it seems to no longer be a news story. :rolleyes: I have more of a problem with no see ums. Major problem.

 

 

What are "no see ums" or should I ask lol? (Just googled it, never heard that before, I as thinking it was some sort of joke lol)

 

 

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[OceansOfTravels]

I spent 10 days camping in the mountains of the Dominican Republic back in July and did not get Zika. Granted, I had soaked my clothes in permethrin beforehand, which I would recommend for certain shirts if you plan on being out and about hiking or doing things that are in nature, wore mosquito repellent bracelets, wore jeans, and of course, frequently applied mosquito repellent. I imagine that you will be okay as long as you apply your mosquito repellent (remember, sunscreen, let it dry, and then mosquito repellent), stay hydrated, and don't venture into heavily wooded areas. But in San Juan this will not be a problem, and in SXM if you are beach bound, it probably will not be either. I have never been to Haiti so I cannot speak about it, but as long as you frequently apply bug spray and stay away from areas that are reported to be bug-heavy. As long as you are not pregnant, I believe that you will be okay. Enjoy your cruise! :D

[Coralc]

What are "no see ums" or should I ask lol? (Just googled it, never heard that before, I as thinking it was some sort of joke lol)

 

 

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Link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopogonidae

 

No see um bites (Florida):

 

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z78/plhunt2/005.jpg

 

I had a better article link about them, but I can't find it in my bookmarks.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Coralc

[CCC3]

Always refer to your doctor in regards to a health matter.

 

 

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[vacationlover_mn]

I'm a complete "mosquito magnet" (for example, it was 50 degrees here this weekend, didn't see a single bug (other than a million ticks) and still somehow got bit by a mosquito). However, I've been to those ports, and several others, and have NEVER been bit.... and have never worn bug spray on a cruise.

[amr2323]

I am also a mosquito magnet. Cruised on Anthem a few weeks ago. Got mosquito bites in Labadee, both in cabana and while walking around. Had used bug spray also. I think the fact that it had rained all the day before was a contributing factor because it was very damp and humid. Did not see any mosquitos on Bermuda, San Juan, or St. Maarten.

 

 

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[manmtnmike]

Find 100 percent deet and avoid "untested" nat repellants , esp if you're only on excursions for a week. It's the only tried and true repellent.

 

 

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