The Zika Virus Hasn't Gone Away, But Travelers Are Seeming Less Concerned The Associated Press
go to original February 23, 2017

I got Zika Virus and it was itchy (clairahermet)

Zika hasn't gone away, but as the mosquito-borne virus has faded from the headlines, travelers  about it than they were last year.

"We had a big downturn in honeymoon business last year," said Hans Pfister, who owns the Lapa Rios Lodge in Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. This year, he says, "is the opposite. A real boom of honeymooners. I guess everybody is catching up. We don't get asked questions anymore. Right now is the dry season and it is not an issue. When the rainy season starts again, we stick with our recommendation that if you are pregnant, don't come."

He theorized that ever since Zika was detected in Florida, "it lost some of its scariness."

Another reason Zika headlines have faded is because mosquitoes are less prevalent in late fall and winter, but "we're entering into the phase where the season might be picking up," said Bryan Lewis, a research associate professor at Virginia Tech's Biocomplexity Institute. "This time last year was when it was starting to take off."

And just because Zika "has fallen off the radar" doesn't mean travelers shouldn't be vigilant, said Dr. Kristy Murray, director of Texas Children's Hospital's Laboratory for viral and zoonotic diseases.

With mosquito season coming up in many regions, "we are worried about new introductions and local transmission," she said. "If anyone is pregnant or planning to become pregnant, then it is wise to discourage travel to areas where Zika is currently being transmitted, particularly southern Texas and Florida, Mexico into Central America, South America, and the Caribbean."

Babies born to women infected with Zika are at risk for microcephaly and other birth defects. The virus can also be transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person.

Some travelers say that even though they're not staying out of the Zika zone, they're taking steps to avoid mosquito bites.

Read the rest at NZHerald

Related: Scientists Uncover How Zika Virus Causes Microcephaly (Lab Manager)

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