DH and I are rebooking our vacation to Mexico due to the CDC travel alert. We were really looking forward to going but it just doesn't seem worth the risk. It seems that all of the tropical places we would like to go are on the damn CDC list! Anyone else making new travel arrangements? Where are you going? Any warm and beachy travel recommendations?
We aren't going anywhere tropical, however I would be rebooking too if I was! St. Pete beach in Florida is very nice for a beachy vacation. Miami might have more to do but I've never been. Hawaii is awesome since there is so much to do but definitely more expensive. However if you stuck to the big island it could be more reasonable. We did b&bs and it wasn't that bad.
There seem to be a TON of placed NOt on the list last I looked. Jamaica, DR, Turks and Caicos, Barbados. When are you going? Maybe even someplace like the Keys would be an option?
We rebooked from Puerto Rico to Palm Beach. Hardly as exciting but still a short flight from NYC with no connections and an easy long weekend trip. We are going next Fridat-Monday, and United let us rebook tickets with a doctor's note and will waive all fees. Our hotel in PR is doing the same (Starwood/St. Regis) but took a little more effort.
Jamaica, Bermuda, the Keys, South Beach (within Miami), and Grand Cayman all have wonderful beaches and lots to do. I prefer the Negril area of Jamaica to the other major areas--it's more peaceful, the beaches are cleaner, and there are some fantastic local restaurants/bars on the beach. Bermuda has wonderful pink sand beaches and is easy to get around (great public transportation in addition to cabs). The Keys are pretty and have a lot shopping and great places to eat. South Beach is sexy with awesome food, and Grand Cayman is beautiful, and historical.
We moved our Mexico vacation to Florida. Pretty disappointing but at least we'll get out of the cold. I wouldn't feel safe going anywhere in the Caribbean at this point. Kind of excited to take our 2.5 year old to Disney though.
Jamaica! That's where we went for our honeymoon... and it truly is paradise. We stayed on the Negril side, at Couples Swept Away. I'm dying to go back!
We also rebooked our PR vacation and decided to go to New Orleans (early March). I was considering South Beach to still get some beach time but my husband was not so into that idea. I am cautious about any Caribbean destination right now and thought staying state side would be safest. Major bummer. As a side note, my girlfriend spa weekend was snowed out this weekend so I believe the universe is telling me not to vacation...
For anyone who'd consider non-beachy travel for a babymoon--DH and I just booked ours for one of the (many!) resorts in Wisconsin.
Spa treatments, indoor pools, antiquing, bonfires, and boardgames. Not super-sexy, but it will be so nice to get away, and I am already fantasizing about those massages!
On the plus side, because it's not really ski country and all the lake activities are summertime things, all the resorts are running about half price now.
It's only two cases, but it seems pretty conclusive: husband gets Zika, goes home to Colorado where he has unprotected sex with his wife, who contracts virus. No other possible means of transmission, and the other case involved a man whose semen contained the virus months after he recovered.
So now the advice is to just not have sex if either partner has been in a location with the aedes aegyptus mosquito. Which is everywhere in the western hemisphere but Canada and Chile.
And it's even worse, because Zika symptoms don't always manifest, and some people don't register that they've been bitten by mosquitoes (and not all bites swell). So literally anyone could have it.
At least there's a blood test. But you'd have to do it before you start trying...
I'm wondering if I should be concerned after my trip to Cancun last month. I guess I'm glad I didn't know about it then! But I may ask my OB about it next week. Surely I would have symptoms if I got Zika, right? I'm not that worried and aside from the pregnancy stuffy nose that I've had pretty much since I POAS, I've felt ok.
I'm wondering if I should be concerned after my trip to Cancun last month. I guess I'm glad I didn't know about it then! But I may ask my OB about it next week. Surely I would have symptoms if I got Zika, right? I'm not that worried and aside from the pregnancy stuffy nose that I've had pretty much since I POAS, I've felt ok.
I am no expert, but from what I am reading 80% of people or so dont get symptoms. I would probably be that nervous nelly to call my doctor....
Ugh. After much discussion with DH and our doc we have decided to postpone our beach vacation until after the little gal arrives. It's just not worth the worry or risk for us. This means vacation somewhere cold. I don't really see the point in that, especially since I can't snowboard or sit in a hot tub right now, but I suppose it's better than working. Womp womp.
@bkjade Cold weather destinations can still be relaxing-- maybe look for a place with a spa. When I was pregnant with DS, we only had time/money for a long weekend away in winter. We went to Niagara Falls in Canada and it was a fantastic trip!
Is anyone worried about travelling to Florida? We have a trip planned next week to Orlando...I realize it's not on the CDC list. I think I'm just extremely nervous and I don't want to spend the entire trip a nervous wreck. Most news outlets are saying it will eventually hit Florida, but as of right now it is a non issue?
I wouldn't worry about Florida just yet, myself. Maybe in a year or two, but I think this winter you're probably safe (or as safe as anywhere is).
Semi-off-topic, but I cannot BELIEVE the government in El Salvador is just throwing up its hands and saying "yeah uh we got nothin', just don't have any kids for the next two years." Seriously? That's your plan? Good god, well, now I know where the zombie apocalypse is destined to begin: with an entire country that just gives up within weeks and tells its citizens they're on their own as soon as a new danger gets announced.
@bkjade what about a spa weekend in Arizona? Or somewhere in Cali?
@Merciel I agree! I saw Jamaica (where the virus isn't even detected yet) had told their residents not to get pregnant. How is that a valid reaction to this.
We are currently on our babymoon on Anna Maria island, Florida. It is very pretty. While not as warm as somewhere in the Caribbean, it is still nice. And I feel a lot safer in many aspects.. Knowing the food & water is safer and if something were to happen to me medically, id rather be in a hospital here than one in Mexico !
@nasalot188 we just got back from Florida. It was actually a little chilly so I wasn't worried about mosquitos. I recently read something that places like Florida and New Orleans are likely places to avoid in the future as their climates are good breeding grounds for mosquitos. I'm not sure how accurate that is though since they said the type of mosquito can be found anywhere except like Antarctica?!
@Bltbear82 Thanks! Yeah I figured it's not too hot there right now, so the risk should be minimal. We're going to visit my sister in law and she said she hasn't even seen a mosquito in like a year lol I don't think Orlando has a high population as they prefer the wet lands. I'll pack my bug spray just in case
According to the CDC there have been zero cases transmitted from mosquitoes to humans within the US. the only confirmed cases in the US have been people who contracted it abroad. Have fun in Florida @nasalot188 and @anolt03!
@yogahh I may call my OB and see if it is a test they even offer, or whether I should come in before my appointment 2/4.
Just got back from the Florida Keys, my doctor had already recommended that travel be limited to the US, US Virgin Islands or Western Europe based on quality of medical care. It was beautiful but can't really compete with places like Saint Lucia etc. They anticipate that Zika will move to Florida (not to be an alarmist still no cases as of yet) eventually so I'm not sure for how much longer it is a valid option.
So long as you and your SO are vigilant about mosquitoes, @nasalot188, I think you'll be fine. TBH it's only a matter of time (and I doubt it will take two years) until the virus spreads everywhere. And if it can be spread sexually or via blood donation (which both seem likely) there's going to be no way of avoiding it.
And (not to be alarmist) but no one knows the mechanism by which it affects pregnancy. Do you have to acquire Zika while pregnant to do any damage? Or is having had it in the past enough? Once you've had it, is there an immunity that can protect you and baby?
I feel El Salvador's pain: It's going to take time to figure these things out, and in the meantime, the only way to prevent birth defects is to not have births. Not saying we should throw up our hands, but until researchers figure out more, I don't know what else anyone can do (besides call our representatives to force the government to allocate more resources to the virus).
I'm currently in Hawaii and have been here since the day after the world freaked out about Zika. I was very nervous but I am here for work so I am inside all day and once I actually got here, my logical brain look over and fears subsided. I also called my doctor who told me that there was no reason for me to cancel my work trip here at this point. However, stress obviously isn't good for any of us so I would air on the side of not going anywhere that will cause you to be concerned, especially if it is supposed to be for leisure.
And seriously, as if being pregnant doesn't open you up to enough stuff to be worried about. Zika virus on top of it? Are you kidding me? I have reached my saturation point!
I'm wondering if I should be concerned after my trip to Cancun last month. I guess I'm glad I didn't know about it then! But I may ask my OB about it next week. Surely I would have symptoms if I got Zika, right? I'm not that worried and aside from the pregnancy stuffy nose that I've had pretty much since I POAS, I've felt ok.
I live just south of Cancun. I talked to my doctor and she said there have only been 18 cases reported in Mexico and none from our state (which includes Cancun).
I have a trip planned to the Riviera Maya, just outside of Cancun in two weeks. I go back and forth on cancelling and going. My OB said the risk is very low seeing that there have not been cases in that region but that it's not no risk. I am torn. This vacation is for my parents 65th birthdays, the entire family is going and it will be the last time I see a lot of that family until the winter holidays. Of course I don't want to endanger my unborn child so the safest thing is just to cancel but when I think about this rationally, I feel like the risk is so low, if I am super vigilant, I should be fine. UGH.
I am usually fairly permissive with these types of things but I just couldn't bear the consequences if something were to happen. We just cancelled out trip to Tulum (Riviera Maya south of Cancun).
I'm wondering if I should be concerned after my trip to Cancun last month. I guess I'm glad I didn't know about it then! But I may ask my OB about it next week. Surely I would have symptoms if I got Zika, right? I'm not that worried and aside from the pregnancy stuffy nose that I've had pretty much since I POAS, I've felt ok.
I live just south of Cancun. I talked to my doctor and she said there have only been 18 cases reported in Mexico and none from our state (which includes Cancun).
Thanks for the info! I did some googling and it took some research but I found the same thing. That certainly sets my mind at ease. There have been four confirmed cases of local transmission in Nuevo León, just south of the Texas border. I bought some bug spray with DEET, but I think I'm in the clear. Stay healthy @gampster!
I feel El Salvador's pain: It's going to take time to figure these things out, and in the meantime, the only way to prevent birth defects is to not have births. Not saying we should throw up our hands, but until researchers figure out more, I don't know what else anyone can do (besides call our representatives to force the government to allocate more resources to the virus).
man, no
Not to revive that whole debate, but El Salvador has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world. Like, to an actually insane degree (check out the 2013 case of "Beatriz" and her anencephalic fetus that had to be delivered by C-section and forcibly kept alive for 5 hours by order of the Supreme Court: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_El_Salvador).
So on the one hand you have that, and a total lack of education about or access to reliable birth control measures that anybody might use to prevent this from happening in the first place, and on the other hand you have this rapidly-spreading disease that appears to cause major birth defects with no cure or treatment, and the government's response is to say "just don't have kids! for two years! because apparently we're just going to give up in advance for at least that long!"
It's a PR disaster, it's a complete abdication of leadership, and it is particularly ridiculous in light of how badly they've sabotaged their own female citizens from having any other option at all.
IMO that deserves condemnation. It is just straight-up shameful on every level.
Re: Rebooking vacations due to Zika
Zika’s alarming spread: CDC investigates link to paralyzing condition, adds 8 countries to travel warning
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/01/21/zika-virus-faq-more-than-a-million-infected-globally-a-dozen-in-the-united-states/
Spa treatments, indoor pools, antiquing, bonfires, and boardgames. Not super-sexy, but it will be so nice to get away, and I am already fantasizing about those massages!
On the plus side, because it's not really ski country and all the lake activities are summertime things, all the resorts are running about half price now.
https://www.scarymommy.com/officials-warn-zika-virus-is-headed-for-the-us/?utm_source=FB
It's only two cases, but it seems pretty conclusive: husband gets Zika, goes home to Colorado where he has unprotected sex with his wife, who contracts virus. No other possible means of transmission, and the other case involved a man whose semen contained the virus months after he recovered.
So now the advice is to just not have sex if either partner has been in a location with the aedes aegyptus mosquito. Which is everywhere in the western hemisphere but Canada and Chile.
And it's even worse, because Zika symptoms don't always manifest, and some people don't register that they've been bitten by mosquitoes (and not all bites swell). So literally anyone could have it.
At least there's a blood test. But you'd have to do it before you start trying...
BFP 1: 9/15/2013 | DD 5/23/2014
BFP 2: 9/15/2015 | EDD 5/26/2016
and I don't want to spend the entire trip a nervous wreck. Most news outlets are saying it will eventually hit Florida, but as of right now it is a non issue?
Semi-off-topic, but I cannot BELIEVE the government in El Salvador is just throwing up its hands and saying "yeah uh we got nothin', just don't have any kids for the next two years." Seriously? That's your plan? Good god, well, now I know where the zombie apocalypse is destined to begin: with an entire country that just gives up within weeks and tells its citizens they're on their own as soon as a new danger gets announced.
@Merciel I agree! I saw Jamaica (where the virus isn't even detected yet) had told their residents not to get pregnant. How is that a valid reaction to this.
On a scientific note- how do they get rid of it?
We are currently on our babymoon on Anna Maria island, Florida. It is very pretty. While not as warm as somewhere in the Caribbean, it is still nice. And I feel a lot safer in many aspects.. Knowing the food & water is safer and if something were to happen to me medically, id rather be in a hospital here than one in Mexico !
@yogahh I may call my OB and see if it is a test they even offer, or whether I should come in before my appointment 2/4.
BFP 1: 9/15/2013 | DD 5/23/2014
BFP 2: 9/15/2015 | EDD 5/26/2016
And (not to be alarmist) but no one knows the mechanism by which it affects pregnancy. Do you have to acquire Zika while pregnant to do any damage? Or is having had it in the past enough? Once you've had it, is there an immunity that can protect you and baby?
I feel El Salvador's pain: It's going to take time to figure these things out, and in the meantime, the only way to prevent birth defects is to not have births. Not saying we should throw up our hands, but until researchers figure out more, I don't know what else anyone can do (besides call our representatives to force the government to allocate more resources to the virus).
And seriously, as if being pregnant doesn't open you up to enough stuff to be worried about. Zika virus on top of it? Are you kidding me? I have reached my saturation point!
Of course I don't want to endanger my unborn child so the safest thing is just to cancel but when I think about this rationally, I feel like the risk is so low, if I am super vigilant, I should be fine. UGH.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/health/zika-virus-spreading-explosively-in-americas-who-says.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share NYTimes: Zika Virus ‘Spreading Explosively’ in Americas, W.H.O. Says
Thanks for the info! I did some googling and it took some research but I found the same thing. That certainly sets my mind at ease. There have been four confirmed cases of local transmission in Nuevo León, just south of the Texas border. I bought some bug spray with DEET, but I think I'm in the clear. Stay healthy @gampster!
BFP 1: 9/15/2013 | DD 5/23/2014
BFP 2: 9/15/2015 | EDD 5/26/2016
Not to revive that whole debate, but El Salvador has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world. Like, to an actually insane degree (check out the 2013 case of "Beatriz" and her anencephalic fetus that had to be delivered by C-section and forcibly kept alive for 5 hours by order of the Supreme Court: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_El_Salvador).
So on the one hand you have that, and a total lack of education about or access to reliable birth control measures that anybody might use to prevent this from happening in the first place, and on the other hand you have this rapidly-spreading disease that appears to cause major birth defects with no cure or treatment, and the government's response is to say "just don't have kids! for two years! because apparently we're just going to give up in advance for at least that long!"
It's a PR disaster, it's a complete abdication of leadership, and it is particularly ridiculous in light of how badly they've sabotaged their own female citizens from having any other option at all.
IMO that deserves condemnation. It is just straight-up shameful on every level.