I'm also freaking out. There must be many unknown cases because, as mentioned before, a lot if people don't get symptoms und therefore it's an unknown case. We will be in Singapore in mid February and even though it's not on the list, it's a hot spot for dengue fever and lots of other mozzie-related diseases. I'd rather put on lots of insect repellent than risking to get zika.
Eta: Two best overall were Repel 100 with DEET, and Cutters Lemon Eucalyptus.
The perfume listed is the one I usually wear...and here I have thought the past few summers that mosquitoes just weren't interested in me anymore.
I can attest to the Lemon Eucalyptus one. That's what I've pretty much always used and mosquitos never seem to bother me. Plus it doesn't have a horrible bug spray smell.
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).
They actually do know how it's transmitted- when a mosquito bites an infected person they take a small amount of their blood and deposit it in the next person they bite. For people without compromised immune systems or pregnant women, zika is usually presented as a moderate cold or flu, and once you have it you can never get it again.
In addition, multiple sources including the CDC do not think it will become a major outbreak in the United States because we have cold winters that freeze many states, we have proper sanitation services, and we don't have stagnat water in our cities (which is where mosquitos deposit their eggs). It is definitely an issue in Latin America but for healthy women living in the United States it's mostly a bummer that we have to rebook baby moons.
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?
They actually do know how it's transmitted- when a mosquito bites an infected person they take a small amount of their blood and deposit it in the next person they bite. For people without compromised immune systems or pregnant women, zika is usually presented as a moderate cold or flu, and once you have it you can never get it again.
First, @JoMunson, they do *not* know how it's transmitted from the woman to the fetus ("the mechanism by which it affects pregnancy"). Even if you have already gotten it and are yourself immune, they do not know enough about how if operates to say that if you get exposed again that you cannot pass it on to baby. I.e. you don't get sick but baby does. They also don't know *when* getting infected (before pregnancy, or only during, and during what stage of pregnancy) can affect baby. That is why no one is telling non-pregnant women to go out, get infected, immunize ourselves, and then get pregnant.
While the CDC has recently (this past week) come out and said that the spread would be limited, they are only looking at mosquito-borne transmission, and even then it will be "limited" to the entire American South (including central Texas, Kentucky, and the DC area) where these same mosquitoes are common. It takes only the slightest pooling of water for the aedes aegypti to breed (they love flower pots, shower floors, and toilet basins), and the biggest thing that will distinguish our rates of infection from those in Latin America is not our sanitation but the prevalence of air-conditioning that lets us sit in our sealed houses on hot summer nights.
I am not trying to be alarmist, just suggesting that until scientists know more, we should all be taking basic precautions, not just re-scheduling our babymoons, if we don't already live in one of the affected areas.
WHO has declared the zika virus a global emergency. It's pretty alarming how rapidly it's been escalated considering in early January I asked my doctor about it and they didn't even know what I was talking about. I hope everyone in warmer climates is taking precautions.
Just got an update that the 1st case of Zika being transmitted in the US was reported in Texas. Southern state mamas- be careful!!!
-------stuck in box-----
it it was a sexually transmitted case. It has not been found in Texas mosquitos. So yeah, I'll avoid sex with people who have been to the affected countries!
Its Dallas county, which is where I live, so yeah, too close to home!
@swflJD I've used the Honest Bug Spray and it works well for me. It's pretty expensive though at $12.95 for 4 oz.
I've also used Repel Natural Insect Repellent as a cheaper option. It's not organic, but has natural ingredients, smells pretty good and seems to actually work well too.
I was in Puerto Moreles (just south of Cancun) a few weeks ago.. We actually left 2 days after CDC announced Mexico was one of the countries... We stayed on the resort where they sprayed for mosquitos.. it was a large group of us and not 1 person got bit... still freaked me out tho and I stayed in the room my last 2 days there!! Saw the doc and he said it really only affects women in 1st trimester who show symptoms.. also the areas of Mexico that were affected were all on the west coast.... but if I had known earlier, even tho we had an amazing time, I would have cancelled the trip.. the nervousness and chance of hurting the baby arent worth a few days of fun in the sun
@swflJD I've used the Honest Bug Spray and it works well for me. It's pretty expensive though at $12.95 for 4 oz.
I've also used Repel Natural Insect Repellent as a cheaper option. It's not organic, but has natural ingredients, smells pretty good and seems to actually work well too.
Thanks! I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and I talked to my OB about it. She said the chemicals in most of the repellents you find at the store are fine and wouldn't harm the baby. But, I hate the strong chemical smell of most sprays, so I'll definitely check out those brands.
For DS I always use the Avon Skin So Soft plus Picardin wipes that were recommended on Lucie's List. I used them earlier this pregnancy too, I like that you can control exactly where the coverage is since I always miss a spot with spray and end up with bites in just one area.
So since I was in Mexico in mid-December, and one of the girls in our group (bachelorette party) had a rash and fever when we returned, I showed a pic of her rash to my doctor yesterday at my 24 week checkup. He said it was consistent with what they describe for the Zika rash. She is trying to get tested but that was in December and she can't find a doctor or hospital that even has the ability to test her. She did go to the doctor right after to have her rash look at but in mid-December he didn't know about Zika yet. So as a precaution, my OB is sending me to a specialist for a sonogram and a second opinion. I'm trying to think of it as just another peek at baby and I'm trying not to panic until someone sounds the alarm ... but it wasn't very reassuring that my OB is the one that wants another opinion. He seemed caught off guard when I asked about it though, like he hadn't had that question yet. I don't think I had any bug bites and I haven't had any symptoms but that doesn't mean much since only 1 in 5 with Zika have symptoms. His only reassurance was that "They have not definitively linked Zika to the birth defects, only noted that there has been a significant rise in both in Brazil" ...
Sonogram with the specialist is next Wednesday. Until then, you'll find me at the bottom of a pint of ice cream.
A co-worker just told me she cancelled her trip to Cancun for the end of the month because she is worried about contracting the virus, then passing it on to me?! I dont think it works like that..... now I have tremendous guilt that she cancelled a trip over this!
@sillyfox, I am sure you are fine! I saw in NY that they are screening women for free. Not sure where you are? Please keep us posted.
@sillyfox I'm sure he's just trying to be sure to do his due diligence and play things on the safe side. T&P that baby is growing normally and your sonogram can put your mind at ease!
A co-worker just told me she cancelled her trip to Cancun for the end of the month because she is worried about contracting the virus, then passing it on to me?! I dont think it works like that..... now I have tremendous guilt that she cancelled a trip over this!
@sillyfox, I am sure you are fine! I saw in NY that they are screening women for free. Not sure where you are? Please keep us posted.
Your coworker should totally go, unless she is pregnant or TTC! She can't spread it to you unless you plan on having sex with her
My OB said he would "look into it" regarding the test, whatever that means. But he said the labs do not offer it, it is currently only done by the CDC.
Short version: an Argentine physicians' NGO has made a compelling case that the microcephaly epidemic is due not to mosquitoes, but to the measures being taken in Brazil to combat the mosquitoes (adding a chemical larvicide, Pyriproxifen, to all drinking water). They say that the only areas to have seen increased cases of microcephaly are the ones that have been treated with that chemical (there have been no microcephaly cases in Colombia, for example, despite the Zika virus being widespread there).
Short version: an Argentine physicians' NGO has made a compelling case that the microcephaly epidemic is due not to mosquitoes, but to the measures being taken in Brazil to combat the mosquitoes (adding a chemical larvicide, Pyriproxifen, to all drinking water). They say that the only areas to have seen increased cases of microcephaly are the ones that have been treated with that chemical (there have been no microcephaly cases in Colombia, for example, despite the Zika virus being widespread there).
Just read this last night... after being in Mexico last month that definitely helped set my mind at ease... even tho the doc told me I had nothing to worry about.. it sure helped!!
I will talk to my doctor about this at my next appointment, but I thought I'd ask here too.
My parents are going to Puerto Rico next month. Is there anything I should be concerned about when they return? I see them both at least twice a week.
You should be fine. If the microcephaly is a consequence of Zika (and now, thankfully, there is some doubt about that!) you would only have to worry about something if: 1. Your folks get Zika in PR 2. They come back to the states and get bitten by mosquitoes AND 3. Those same mosquitoes bite you.
Frankly, you are more at risk of getting Zika from someone you don't know than someone you do.
Zika can only be transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which is not found north of Kentucky, or by unprotected sex, or (possibly) by blood transfusion.
Avoid mosquitoes and you should be fine, no special precautions needed re: your parents.
Re: Rebooking vacations due to Zika
Eta: Two best overall were Repel 100 with DEET, and Cutters Lemon Eucalyptus.
The perfume listed is the one I usually wear...and here I have thought the past few summers that mosquitoes just weren't interested in me anymore.
Second, the article I posted above, which I referenced in the post you quoted (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/health/two-cases-suggest-zika-virus-could-be-spread-through-sex.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0), demonstrated nearly conclusively that it can be transmitted by sexual contact and that it could very easily contaminate the blood supply, as it seems to remain alive in the bloodstream and semen for several months after infection.
While the CDC has recently (this past week) come out and said that the spread would be limited, they are only looking at mosquito-borne transmission, and even then it will be "limited" to the entire American South (including central Texas, Kentucky, and the DC area) where these same mosquitoes are common. It takes only the slightest pooling of water for the aedes aegypti to breed (they love flower pots, shower floors, and toilet basins), and the biggest thing that will distinguish our rates of infection from those in Latin America is not our sanitation but the prevalence of air-conditioning that lets us sit in our sealed houses on hot summer nights.
I am not trying to be alarmist, just suggesting that until scientists know more, we should all be taking basic precautions, not just re-scheduling our babymoons, if we don't already live in one of the affected areas.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/02/02/health/zika-virus-world-health-organization.html?referer=https://www.google.com/
https://www.boston.com/news/nation/2016/02/02/case-zika-infection-transmitted-sex-reported-texas/zrEQtAsqQoEpfv6WK32i1H/story.html
https://www.winknews.com/2016/02/02/florida-dept-of-health-zika-reported-in-lee-county/
I've also used Repel Natural Insect Repellent as a cheaper option. It's not organic, but has natural ingredients, smells pretty good and seems to actually work well too.
https://www.lucieslist.com/lucies-list-blog/2014/06/24/best-insect-repellents-for-kids-2014/
Sonogram with the specialist is next Wednesday. Until then, you'll find me at the bottom of a pint of ice cream.
BFP 1: 9/15/2013 | DD 5/23/2014
BFP 2: 9/15/2015 | EDD 5/26/2016
@sillyfox, I am sure you are fine! I saw in NY that they are screening women for free. Not sure where you are? Please keep us posted.
Your coworker should totally go, unless she is pregnant or TTC! She can't spread it to you unless you plan on having sex with her
My OB said he would "look into it" regarding the test, whatever that means. But he said the labs do not offer it, it is currently only done by the CDC.
I'm in Texas, not far from Dallas.
BFP 1: 9/15/2013 | DD 5/23/2014
BFP 2: 9/15/2015 | EDD 5/26/2016
Short version: an Argentine physicians' NGO has made a compelling case that the microcephaly epidemic is due not to mosquitoes, but to the measures being taken in Brazil to combat the mosquitoes (adding a chemical larvicide, Pyriproxifen, to all drinking water). They say that the only areas to have seen increased cases of microcephaly are the ones that have been treated with that chemical (there have been no microcephaly cases in Colombia, for example, despite the Zika virus being widespread there).
https://secondnexus.com/ecology-and-sustainability/zika-is-not-to-blame/
https://www.reduas.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2016/02/Informe-Zika-de-Reduas_TRAD.pdf
My parents are going to Puerto Rico next month. Is there anything I should be concerned about when they return? I see them both at least twice a week.
1. Your folks get Zika in PR
2. They come back to the states and get bitten by mosquitoes
AND
3. Those same mosquitoes bite you.
Frankly, you are more at risk of getting Zika from someone you don't know than someone you do.
Zika can only be transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which is not found north of Kentucky, or by unprotected sex, or (possibly) by blood transfusion.
Avoid mosquitoes and you should be fine, no special precautions needed re: your parents.
But, of course, also listen to your doctor:)
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/zika-monsanto-pyriproxyfen-microcephaly_us_56c2712de4b0b40245c79f7c?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000032