Chikungunya Mosquito disease spreads to the South Pacfic

[mcrcruiser]

We are doing a 21 day cruise Sd to Sydney Australia on Noordam ,Oct 3rd . In the port section there is a brief start of this issue . We were aware of the wide spread disease in the Caribbean islands & South america ;but ,it now has spread to the South Pacific islands .

 

There are NO known cures & most doctors mis diagnose it's symtoms ;which come on with in 3 to 7 days :o. It is a very serious disease if bitten .

 

Here is the CDC web site on this disease .Please besure to take precautions seriously ,if you are in those areas . It is also now in the SE USA states & spreading :

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/chikungunya-french-polynesia

 

Lindsay Lohan had been bitten in French Polynesia .

 

More info can be gotten by Googling : "Mosquito Problem in the Caribbean "

[ICtheC]

I am just going to post this on our 50 day cruise on the Amsterdam.

the only two places without this problem are the Marshall Islands and Nauru. All our other stops there are contaminated and we don't plan on getting off the ship at all. Too risky with such a serious disease.

thanks for the heads up though - people should know about this in order to bring bug spray for protection if they do plan to go ashore.

Do you know the incubation period for the disease? Have not been able to find it so far and wondered if a person contracted the disease if they would pass it on before we got to San Diego.

Thanks kindly for the info!

[OlsSalt]

Thanks for this alert. Just ordered a BugOff hoodie - on sale no less, and they claim the open net weave will be "cool". Ha, even roaming the equator like this cruise will be taking us? We'll see. But covering the head and scalp and a cross the face was key the last time we got bug-bombed in the Russian White Sea.

Edited August 16, 2015 by OlsSalt

[ICtheC]

Having lived in a mosquito area we found that they can even bite through

light clothing and in any gap between the socks and the slacks and the sleeve and the wrist (if you are wearing gloves)

Here are a few deterrents take as much vitamin C as is safe

rub vicks or lemon juice on the exposed skin

saturate a cloth with Listerine and pin to clothing

 

We still will not get off the ship in those areas as the info says it is

more dangerous for seniors.

[OlsSalt]

Not meant to be an advertisement but for information purposes only - example of the types of insect repellent clothing that is out there, that might also work for the very hot and humid climate we will also be facing:

 

http://www.exofficio.com/products/details/womens-bugsaway-lumen-hoody-s14

 

Good idea to add the neck scarf to pull up over the face and keep the neck fully covered too, as well as being a sweat band.

Edited August 17, 2015 by OlsSalt

[wander]

Well, I certainly will use the recommended precautions while traveling to relevant areas, and do NOT want to acquire this disease, BUT, I must say I feel MUCH better about this viral disease after reading the CDC information than I do reading CC comments. (And yes I am over 65.)

[Wastegirl]

OP, I gather you are doing the South Pacific Crossing from Vancouver, through Honolulu, Pago Pago and so on.

 

Well most of the South Pacific Islands on that particular cruise are in Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia with no mention of Chikungunya Mosquito disease, in fact I had never heard of it and have travelled to my end of the South Pacific quite a few times.

 

So by the look of it the only Port you need be concerned about is Pago Pago.

 

However you cannot be too careful as we have our own list of mosquito borne diseases and always recommend a good insect repellent.

[sail7seas]

I'm so sorry you will have this concern to cope with.

I hope you all have a healthy, safe journey and enjoy what should be a fabulous adventure.

 

Best wishes.

[Keith1010]

You are best to use insect repellent at all caribbean islands, and also at the Pacific Ocean Islands and some others.

 

That's what we did this past year.

 

Keith

[mcrcruiser]

I am just going to post this on our 50 day cruise on the Amsterdam.

the only two places without this problem are the Marshall Islands and Nauru. All our other stops there are contaminated and we don't plan on getting off the ship at all. Too risky with such a serious disease.

thanks for the heads up though - people should know about this in order to bring bug spray for protection if they do plan to go ashore.

Do you know the incubation period for the disease? Have not been able to find it so far and wondered if a person contracted the disease if they would pass it on before we got to San Diego.

Thanks kindly for the info!

 

Incubation time is said ti be 3 -7 days .Only if a non diseased mosquito bites a person with this disease would the new mosquito carry the disease .This is how it is being brought back to the USA :eek:

[mcrcruiser]

OP, I gather you are doing the South Pacific Crossing from Vancouver, through Honolulu, Pago Pago and so on.

 

Well most of the South Pacific Islands on that particular cruise are in Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia with no mention of Chikungunya Mosquito disease, in fact I had never heard of it and have travelled to my end of the South Pacific quite a few times.

 

So by the look of it the only Port you need be concerned about is Pago Pago.

 

However you cannot be too careful as we have our own list of mosquito borne diseases and always recommend a good insect repellent.

 

The mosquito & disease is in Apia Samoa as well .

 

The problem of spreading the disease is when a infected person travels to any new area with normal mosquitos & they bite he/she .Then the once normal mosquito now carries the disease . This is how all the mosquito disease spread :o. Warm & humid type climates will support mosquito growth . According to the CDC ,The Cartibbean ,South America ,some of the islands in the south Pacific & parts of the SE USA are infected .

 

The Caribbean started reporting in St Martin 2000 cases in end of 2013 .There are now over one million known infections in the Caribbean & South America. Land spraying helps if the country has the money ,equipment , know how & management abilities .Third world countries are far lesss ready to meet the threat . If the USA gets too many cases then the drug companies will find it worth their while to find a cure by inoculations;)

[kazu]

thanks for the heads up on this.

 

We are heading to the South Pacific next year so I will watch the CDC website.

 

Much appreciated :)

[knittinggirl]

Ever since one of our friends spent months in ICU w/ West Nile, adding Bug Spray has become part of our normal routine.

[ICtheC]

thanks Sail7Seas - for your good wishes - have always enjoyed your posts over the years!

 

Our daughter just came and gave us a bottle of bug spray to take with us

so we will be equipped for that area.

I still don't think we will get off in the infected areas as the reports say that it is worse for seniors and we have been to all of those areas in the past.

 

We did a lot of volunteer work in different countries over the years so have

become aware of the importance of protecting ourselves and avoiding the

dangers there.

[OlsSalt]

We found any sort of aerosol bug spray was prohibited in some nature reserves on one cruise. They allowed creams and wipes, but nothing that could become easily airborne. Makes sense. Bug-repellent clothing was also okay.

[Viesczy]

Much ado about nothing.

 

Long as you're not an unfit arthritic, who is also about to burst pregnant and nearly a septuagenarian you are FINE.

 

Per the CDCs those at more risk are:

-People who have arthritis

-People with serious underlying medical conditions (such as high blood -pressure, heart disease, or diabetes)

-People older than 65

-Women who are late in their pregnancies, because of the risk to babies born at the time their mother is sick

 

I an not near any of those!

 

The rest of you, you're on your own!

 

Seriously, take a can of bug spray and you'll be fine.

[OlsSalt]

Much ado about nothing.

......

 

Seriously, take a can of bug spray and you'll be fine.

 

Please rethink taking a can of bug "spray" - non-aerosol is better and often required in some nature areas.

[Fouremco]

Per the CDCs those at more risk are:

-People who have arthritis

-People with serious underlying medical conditions (such as high blood -pressure, heart disease, or diabetes)

-People older than 65

Ya, but that's 95% of the HAL passenger base! ;)

[FLACRUISER99]

For all the folks that are going to stay on the ship, how do you keep the mosquito's from coming on the ship?:confused:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry to hear that the Chikungunya mosquitoes are now in the South Pacific and could affect cruisers there.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have been having computer problems - sorry for the double post.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Krazy Kruizers

[Krazy Kruizers]

For all the folks that are going to stay on the ship, how do you keep the mosquito's from coming on the ship?:confused:

 

 

 

Good question.

They love me and will hunt me out no matter where I am.

[sail7seas]

Much ado about nothing.

 

Long as you're not an unfit arthritic, who is also about to burst pregnant and nearly a septuagenarian you are FINE.

 

Per the CDCs those at more risk are:

-People who have arthritis

-People with serious underlying medical conditions (such as high blood -pressure, heart disease, or diabetes)

-People older than 65

-Women who are late in their pregnancies, because of the risk to babies born at the time their mother is sick

 

I an not near any of those!

 

The rest of you, you're on your own!

 

Seriously, take a can of bug spray and you'll be fine.

 

Ya, but that's 95% of the HAL passenger base! ;)

 

 

 

Viesczy,

Well, as long as you're okay, all is well. No need to worry about anyone else. :eek: :D

 

Foremco......... You got that right!!!! :D

 

[OlsSalt]

Hope we all honor the precautions so we don't inadvertently bring bad bugs back on board with us. I know in Australia they used to (still do?) spray the entire ship during their port visits, so those who stayed on on board had to endure that smelly fumigation exercise.

[SeaDog-46]

There is a large current outbreak of Chikungunya in the Marshall Islands.

 

Just as bad & far more prevalent is Dengue Fever.

 

In Hawaii, North Eastern tropical Australia, most of the Pacific & tropical Asia.