
No,
I am not talking about Ebola. Though, if you are planning on traveling to
Africa soon, you may want to check in and see where the Ebola outbreak stands.
I am talking about the Zika virus. Like
many illnesses, the Zika virus is spread to people through mosquitoes. The
first alert for Zika virus was issued in May of last year. Since then, there
have been several reports of travelers contracting the Zika virus. According to
the CDC, the most common symptoms of the Zika virus are fever, rash, joint
pain, and conjunctivitis. Health officials are also looking into whether the
virus is connected to Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Cases
of Zika virus have been confirmed in the following countries:
-
Mexico
-
Honduras
-
Brazil
-
Barbados
-
Colombia
-
Ecuador
-
Guatemala
-
Panama
-
Puerto Rico
-
Saint Martin
-
Venezuela
-
Paraguay
-
Haiti
-
Guyana
Unlike
illnesses like Typhoid and Yellow Fever, there is no current vaccine for Zika
virus. So if you are traveling to any of the countries listed above, you need
to take some precautions. First, if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant,
you may want to avoid traveling to any of those countries for now. There have
been tests that have linked Zika to a condition called microcephaly in
newborns. If you still have your heart set on that baby moon in Puerto Rico,
then you should talk to your healthcare provider.
If
you aren’t pregnant, and have plans to visit an International
Vacation Home Exchange in Central
or South America, be sure to pack some mosquito repellent; lots of mosquito
repellent. Mosquitoes can carry other diseases, like Malaria and West Nile. In
fact, the same species of mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus also spread dengue
fever and the chikungunya virus. So be sure to spray mosquito repellent on your
cloths and skin often. While at your vacation exchange, keep windows and doors
shut. And wear long sleeves and pants (if weather permits).
So,
should you be worried if you are traveling to an area with confirmed reports of
Zika virus? If you take the proper
precautions, then you should be fine. Anytime you travel to a foreign country,
you should always take measures to avoid contracting any illness. Before you
head to the airport, you should talk to nurses and doctors at your local travel
clinic.
Thank you to travel
writer Carla Pruitt. You can follow Carla on Twitter at @crobscarla
It is always good to take proper precautions to ensure you have the best possible vacation home exchange.
Good advice, Carla.
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