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Should I even ask this question ???

southbayer

By southbayer,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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springs741

springs741

Posted
Posted

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.

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firemanbobswife

firemanbobswife

Posted
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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.

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loxley

loxley

Posted
Posted
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.

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ldlewis45

ldlewis45

Posted
Posted

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.

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John Reid

John Reid

Posted
Posted
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?

even-the-babies-who-are-not-as-severely-affected-can-suffer-with-psychomotor-impairment-which-ca.jpg.188676290510bb06fcced226d7e2b581.jpg

635908824966891401-EPA-BRAZIL-MICROCEPHALY.2.jpg.73c8f88f17c6a468a8820ec516937f4c.jpg

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whitecap

whitecap

Posted
Posted
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

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John Reid

John Reid

Posted
Posted
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.

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firemanbobswife

firemanbobswife

Posted
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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.

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whitecap

whitecap

Posted
Posted
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

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winddawn

winddawn

Posted
Posted (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 by winddawn
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firemanbobswife

firemanbobswife

Posted
Posted

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

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