Considering Cancelling Cruise - Zika Virus

[surf cruiser]

My daughter was concerned about getting bit by mosquitos in Labadee, so we stayed on the ship. Sure enough she got bit by a mosquito on the ship while we were walking around. She was fine, but wear your mosquito repellent. She is a natural mosquito anywhere she goes.

[Queen of Oakville]

Thank you to all who have posted helpful and supportive comments. We have just been and cancelled our cruise as we feel the risk is too great for the sake of a 12 day holiday. We could never forgive ourselves if we went and subsequently had a child who ended up with problems due to our own selfish whims.

We will hopefully get the 75% of the cruise total that Royal Caribbean have taken, back through our insurance company as the fertility clinic has told us not to go due to the risk.

I will let you all know if we are successful with our claim.

It's very disappointing that Royal Caribbean who pride themselves as being one of the best, haven't even bothered to send out any information to passengers travelling on their ships to the areas with this virus to inform them about the situation. We only found out through the news and then subsequent research on the Internet.

Happy and safe cruising to those travelling in the near future x

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I can tell you that in all my cruises I have never experienced a mosquito bite.

 

That being said, if I were pregnant or considering being pregnant, I would not take the chance.

 

I think you made the best decision possible given the information that is out there right now. I wish you the best for your pregnancy!

 

 

 

 

 

My daughter was concerned about getting bit by mosquitos in Labadee, so we stayed on the ship. Sure enough she got bit by a mosquito on the ship while we were walking around. She was fine, but wear your mosquito repellent. She is a natural mosquito anywhere she goes.

 

My knowledge of Zika is limited but from what I understand - the symptoms are so mild that one would not even know if they were affected. The risks to the fetus are much greater. How would your daughter know she was unaffected?

[thefog]

People take this virus very serious, I'm going on a cruise in march and not getting off the ship.I got the west nile virus 4 years ago and almost died. What I understand is this virus is also pretty bad.

[QE2_Fan]

Great to hear you have come to a decision! It sounds a wise one considering eve thing and you will always have the opportunity to travel as a family!!

 

Best of luck with the pregnancy - how very exciting for you both!

 

Cheers

Matt

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[elaine5]

best wishes on getting pregnant!

Edited January 28, 2016 by elaine5

[brillohead]

People take this virus very serious, I'm going on a cruise in march and not getting off the ship.I got the west nile virus 4 years ago and almost died. What I understand is this virus is also pretty bad.

 

What I understand is that you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about this virus.

 

Try doing a little research before spreading misinformation. :rolleyes:

 

The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon.

-- source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[scorpluvsdolphins]

I recently read an interesting article on fertility treatments. If you're interested email me at my screen name at yahoo.

Put fertility in the Re: so I won't think it is junk mail and trash it.

Terri

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[DrD]

What I understand is that you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about this virus.

 

Try doing a little research before spreading misinformation. :rolleyes:

 

-- source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

It is you who are misinformed. It's a question of semantics. when the need for hospitalization is "uncommon," that's much worse than "rarely," or "never."

 

just the fact that they have issued a travel advisory is significant. Most of us would consider that serious. True, it's not dengue, but as I said it all depends on what you call serious.

Edited January 28, 2016 by DrD

[cruisecraze96]

It's very disappointing that Royal Caribbean who pride themselves as being one of the best, haven't even bothered to send out any information to passengers travelling on their ships to the areas with this virus to inform them about the situation. We only found out through the news and then subsequent research on the Internet.

Happy and safe cruising to those travelling in the near future x

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

It is sad that I got an email from Carnival today and my next cruise is not until 2017 with them but nothing from Royal and we have 40 days until we leave.

[brillohead]

It is you who are misinformed. It's a question of semantics. when the need for hospitalization is "uncommon," that's much worse than "rarely," or "never."

 

just the fact that they have issued a travel advisory is significant. Most of us would consider that serious. True, it's not dengue, but as I said it all depends on what you call serious.

 

The "travel advisory" consists of "avoid mosquito bites". :rolleyes:

 

Non-pregnant (or non-pregnancy-attempting) people are NOT being advised to not travel there, as there is no big danger to the general public associated with the virus any more so than with any other general illness.

 

Norovirus hospitalization is "uncommon".

Chicken pox hospitalization is "uncommon".

Listeriosis hospitalization is "uncommon".

 

That's not to say that nobody is ever hospitalized for those illnesses -- but it's not typical b/c they are not typically that big a deal. Most moderately healthy individuals get through them without needing to be hospitalized. Just like this virus.

 

If you're going somewhere that is prone to norovirus, you take appropriate precautions by washing your hands well, etc. If you're going somewhere that is prone to Zika virus, you take precautions by wearing skeeter spray and/or long sleeves/pants, etc.

 

That's the extent of the travel advisory that you seem to think is so serious.

[queenL]

Interesting topic. I work for CDC. I remember when we first started hearing about this. I cruised during both of my pregnancies. I wondered what I would do if I was pregnant and about to sail. Definitely a difficult choice to make. Food for thought though, even if you cancel your cruise, the first cases have been reported in the US. It is a problem to be dealt with regardless of whether you will be travelling.

[Hotel CA]

Interesting topic. I work for CDC. I remember when we first started hearing about this. I cruised during both of my pregnancies. I wondered what I would do if I was pregnant and about to sail. Definitely a difficult choice to make. Food for thought though, even if you cancel your cruise, the first cases have been reported in the US. It is a problem to be dealt with regardless of whether you will be travelling.

 

You work for the CDC eh??? Well I have this issue

 

Wait a minute don't walk away -- see, it hurts when I do this and it all started right after I got some kind of itchy rash and THAT probably came from some kind of rather large flying insect that injected an inch long stinger into my back whilst we were on safari near Kruger National park in South Africa---an RCCL sanctioned tour I might add

 

wait, don't leave..... aren't you with the Government and supposed to help me??????

[Hotel CA]

I've bit my tongue for hours on this one, but...

 

"Risk" is composed of two independent variable: Probability of the event, and consequences of the event. Risk is usually expressed in terms of an unmitigated risk and a final risk with mitigation.

 

In this case, probability is probably moderate. We have no idea of the true prevalence of Zika virus in the mosquito population, but the Aedes mosquitoes that spread Zika in populated areas are aggressive daytime biters and are also extremely anthropophilic; they like people and their dwellings. So far, we only have an association of Zika with microcephaly, so we can't make any conclusions as to the real probability of microcephaly resulting from a single exposure. So that adds up to a moderate probability in my book.

 

The consequences of an uncontrolled event appear catastrophic. We're forced to make assumptions as there simply is no scientific data, but, in Brazil, there is a definite association of Zika infection with microcephaly, which is a pretty catastrophic occurrence. It does appear that infected individuals rapidly clear the virus, and become immune, so the CDC at least sees little risk to those who become pregnant weeks or months after infection.

 

So, the unmitigated "risk", probability X consequence, is high, driven by the consequences of a moderately likely event. You can reduce this to at least moderate/medium by using mosquito repellant religiously. The close association between Aedes mosquitos and people means that's probably your only good strategy. Staying on the ship in port will probably reduce risk further.

 

If we were a few years into this phenomena, and actually knew more, we could much more effectively assess the real risk. So, I don't think the OP is overreacting. They're trying to make a very difficult decision in the face of very incomplete, and probably inaccurate, information. To which I wish them the best of luck and hope they receive the best medical advice, from an actual person instead of an internet forum, available to them.

 

LIKE!!! The POST OF THE YEAR... End of story

[PaulMCO]

Back to the OP's original issue with the fact that RCI will charge them -- they have had a change of heart...

 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/worried-about-the-zika-virus-some-airlines-cruise-lines-offering-refunds-credits-2016-01-28

[rinse82]

WOW...just WOW...

 

Better not go outside ever again either....one might get hit by lightning.... :eek:

 

After all...the odds are about the same... :rolleyes:

 

This is a bit ignorant - slim chance or not, this is a child's life we're talking about.

[Erwin Family @ Sea]

What I understand is that you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about this virus.

 

Try doing a little research before spreading misinformation. :rolleyes:

 

-- source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

I think you know even less!!