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Zika and cruising


carlos1978

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Hi all fellow cruisers. My wife has the itch for another cruise, and she is currently 11 weeks pregnant. She wants to go on a cruise before the cutoff for getting on the ship and flying. That cutoff would be the first couple weeks of January. After alot of reading and homework, the only places she is "safe" to travel too are Bahamas, Bermuda and the USA. And tips or advise from others who have been in the same dilemma??

The further south Caribbean you go the greater the chances are. 

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34 minutes ago, carlos1978 said:

Hi all fellow cruisers. My wife has the itch for another cruise, and she is currently 11 weeks pregnant. She wants to go on a cruise before the cutoff for getting on the ship and flying. That cutoff would be the first couple weeks of January. After alot of reading and homework, the only places she is "safe" to travel too are Bahamas, Bermuda and the USA. And tips or advise from others who have been in the same dilemma??

The further south Caribbean you go the greater the chances are. 

We have seldom seen mosquitoes but always take bug spray, ever since the first Zika warnings.  We have been to both East and Western Caribbean.  I would simply say you probably want to avoid jungle environments (e.g., Chacchobben ruins in Mexico has flies/bugs).  Normally beach environments have enough of a wind/breeze that mosquitoes are discouraged.  This is just our personal take.

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I'm not a doctor, but the whole Zika thing was really overblown in the media. To that point, the news isn't covering it all anymore because, well, there is no story to cover.

Is there a risk beyond zero someone could get Zika virus in the tropics? Yes. Is it significant? Likely not. 

14 hours ago, carlos1978 said:

After alot of reading and homework, the only places she is "safe" to travel too are Bahamas, Bermuda and the USA.

I'd point out Zika was contracted in the USA, specifically Florida, so you can't go off purely where the virus has ever been.

I'd speak to your doctor, but my feeling is the threat is so remote that I'm not certain I would be planning my vacations around a very unlikely possibility.

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15 hours ago, carlos1978 said:

Hi all fellow cruisers. My wife has the itch for another cruise, and she is currently 11 weeks pregnant. She wants to go on a cruise before the cutoff for getting on the ship and flying. That cutoff would be the first couple weeks of January. After alot of reading and homework, the only places she is "safe" to travel too are Bahamas, Bermuda and the USA. And tips or advise from others who have been in the same dilemma??

The further south Caribbean you go the greater the chances are. 

It might be worth grabbing an appointment/consultation with a travel doctor. He/she will have a better, realistic understanding of where, geographically, the risks may be compared to (a) random Internet sites (this one included), or (b) most other types of medical specialists. 

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I recently did consult my travel doctor asking about the places we'd be headed and what, if any, precautions or vaccinations would be advised. I was specifically told that there was very little threat especially if avoiding the more 'jungle' type areas and that aside from some bug spray if I wanted that I shouldn't need to worry nor take addition precautions. This was through Kaiser. Our destinations are Labadee, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Philipsburg, St. Martin.

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My wife is an OB/GYN nurse, and I feel that qualifies me as an expert. Kidding....but what I do know is that, like @Matt said....the Zika thing was blown WAAAAY out of proportion.  GASP! Media would never do that, would they? What you should worry the most about is being that far away from your OB during pregnancy.  The further you get into pregnancy, the more they discourage you from traveling, not so much because of outside dangers (though they are to be considered) but more because you are going to be impossible to care for if something were to happen. If youre dead set on traveling during pregnancy, just call your physician's office and they can advise you on what would be necessary, and recommended. 

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Somewhat related, somewhat not.....what I can recommend (and its considered safe for pregnancy...but take that with a grain of salt because no human studies have been done) to keep mosquitoes away, no matter where you are, is permethrin spray. You thoroughly spray your clothing, before you travel, and it will stay on your clothing during your trip (generally lasts through UP TO 6 washings.) I use this stuff, backpacking and fishing, on all my clothes and gear. IT WORKS. It was developed by the military for jungle use, and affects the insects nervous system. 

 https://sawyer.com/products/permethrin-insect-repellent-treatment/

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3 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

What would it do to a baby’s nervous system ?  Don’t mean to be glib...just wondering if it’s safe for someone who’s preggers.

Yeah....thats why I say take it with a grain of salt.  No human studies have been done, during pregnancy, but no fetal implications have existed in animal studies. The actual science of it is way beyond me and my mind.....too many beers drank, and too many sports stats stored.   I did product training for associates with Cabelas for a while, and this stuff was one of the most impressive items I encountered. 

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