There is a balance beetween ignorance and panic vs diseases and travel. I would advice anyone who travel to pay attention to the basic rules of staying healthy during travel:

5 ways to stay healthy while traveling abroad
[edition.cnn.com]

Especially:

- Be prepared
- Be aware

Before I left for two months in Latin America this month, I made a visit to our local vaccination office. I do always go there ahead of challenging travels. The vaccination office is a great public service in Norway, you just pay for the vaccination shots. They are staffed with virology doctors who do work professionally with diseases like SARS, bird flu, malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, cholera and so on. I spent more than one hour discussing risk and travel zones this time. Their main concern was the mosquito, Dengue, yellow fever certificate renewal etc. The "dengue mosquito" Aedes aegypti might also carry Zika.

I have most of the vaccination there is, not just to protect myself, but also to protect my family and people around me. If there is a vaccine, you should take it. If there is protection, like mosquito nets and spray, you should use it. Containing diseases and preventing a virus from getting pandemic is a common responsibility for everyone. You may be egoistic and survive on your own but your best friend or neighbor might die because you did not care. Also, having Dengue or Zika or Cholera or other diseases will not improve your life quality.

A lot may said about WHO, the World Health Organization, but they do a lot of very important work. They took control of SARS at a stage when it went out of control in China, they coordinate the Ebola works, they are our best scientific global unit when it comes to collecting worldwide health information and strategies. Just an example... On Jan 14 this year WHO posted on their news pages "Ebola new cases at zero in west africa". The next day Jan 15 they posted an update "New Ebola case in Sierra Leone". In short, which is a very good advice:

" ... the Organization says the job is not over, more flare-ups are expected and that strong surveillance and response systems will be critical in the months to come."

For the lates news about the Zika virus see the world press, while to get the real facts stripped from tabloid talks see the WHO news.

WHO News
[www.who.int]


The mosquito Aedes aegypti feeding on a human host

Bjornulf



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-30 14:45 by bv.

God help any mosquito that bites Keith or Ron.................

If no one mentioned it, DDT annihilated these kinds of mosquitos; and we all know the bad rap DDT has had. It's difficult to see what is the correct route to go.

This was reported by one of the big news agencies, I forget which article I read it in.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-30 19:29 by BroomWagon.

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strat72
A storm in a teacup, and nothing new. The W.H.O are a joke!

Tell that to the poor mothers who have had children with small heads and the babies may not live long.

Hey All, I live in Singapore where the Govt is good at tracking things (yeah all things….unfortunately) We had 636 cases of Dengue Fever reported last week per the Govt website…it is also a debilitating disease can result in death etc yet we all went out to see the Stones when they came to Singapore right BV! Point I am making is there are problems with mosquitos everywhere and what you need to do if going is reduce your chances of getting the bite. Bring OFF with Deet, don't buy it local as it probably is fake, stay away from cheap run down areas with puddles, gutters, leeching fields, standing water areas, etc these are where they breed, they aren't in the city area in a reasonable hotel that has no standing water around it…

use common sense don't let the media hype ruin your mental pleasure for what will be another great tour.

Brazil sent out 200,000 soldiers to combat Zika; but let's not over-exaggerate the problem it could be, the media hype. [www.telesurtv.net]

It should not be a problem and they are mainly concerned with the Olympics.

Quote
EddieByword
God help any mosquito that bites Keith or Ron.................

Good one! My laugh of the day!

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BroomWagon
If no one mentioned it, DDT annihilated these kinds of mosquitos; and we all know the bad rap DDT has had. It's difficult to see what is the correct route to go.

This was reported by one of the big news agencies, I forget which article I read it in.

My father used to work with DDT. It was all over, I remember those cans. When it was banned he just stocked up for the next decade or so. It was so efficient in gerring rid of the bugs. He was a gardener. I guess DDT is one of the reasons why he passed away ten years too early. The 50's and 60's were just wild when it comes to protecting farmers and gardeners. And the chemicals were numerous, never tested, just use them.

The DDT Story
[www.panna.org]

The correct route to go is education and education and resources. The mosquitos live in places where there is water. Zanzibar got alomost reid of malaria by banning plastic bags. One of the reasons why mosquitos are so many is because of all the plastic waste. And old car tyres. They just lay around and keep water after rain for weeks. The bugs love it. Waste with water. Mankind and the revenge of the nature.

Bjornulf

Quote
bv

Quote
BroomWagon
If no one mentioned it, DDT annihilated these kinds of mosquitos; and we all know the bad rap DDT has had. It's difficult to see what is the correct route to go.

This was reported by one of the big news agencies, I forget which article I read it in.

My father used to work with DDT. It was all over, I remember those cans. When it was banned he just stocked up for the next decade or so. It was so efficient in gerring rid of the bugs. He was a gardener. I guess DDT is one of the reasons why he passed away ten years too early. The 50's and 60's were just wild when it comes to protecting farmers and gardeners. And the chemicals were numerous, never tested, just use them.

The DDT Story
[www.panna.org]

The correct route to go is education and education and resources. The mosquitos live in places where there is water. Zanzibar got alomost reid of malaria by banning plastic bags. One of the reasons why mosquitos are so many is because of all the plastic waste. And old car tyres. They just lay around and keep water after rain for weeks. The bugs love it. Waste with water. Mankind and the revenge of the nature.

This year has been terrible rainy in Brazil and other SA countries (El Ninjo problem). Hence, lots of water all over (I was three for my annual 3 weeks vacation). When the authorities have no interest in cleaning up the problem, a smaller previous issue becomes enormous. That is why this year is a disaster. And a real disaster with lots of new babies born with a damaged brain not at all resolvable.

I cancelled my Brazil trip. There are too many unknowns which could be a risky gamble as my wife and I would like to get pregnant.

Cancelled 3 shows. See you all in Mexico and in Cuba hopefully..

Mosquitoes suck.


On the internet nobody knows
you're Mick Jagger

Every case here in Argentina had been infected in other countries. It's safe here.

Its only risky around the humid/wet areas of sth america.
Cities like bogota, lima etc you would be fine.
Remember Brazil is enormous...and there's no doubt those humid areas of the amazonas would be a huge risk.

Quote
dcba

Quote
chatoyancy
A doctor on the news said to slather yourself with DEET lotion if going to South America, and wear long sleeves and long pants.

Yeah usually mosquitos sting at night so a good mosquito tent removes most of the problems.
But the one that conveys Zika is the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), and it stings during the day... That's baaaad shhhhhhiiit!

Mosquitoes don't sting.

Bees, wasps, hornets, scorpions and a few other bugs sting.

Mosquitoes bite (suck). Like fleas and flies. And only female mosquitoes bite.

1. This virus is essentially harmless. 80-90% that contract it show zero symptoms. The rest fight it off as our immune systems are designed to do.

2. There is zero link between this virus and small heads/brains in new born.

3. Small heads at birth linked to pesticides, this has been proved.

Fear not the WHO are a corrupt organization in cahoots with the pharmaceutical industry.

link these 2 pesticides are reportedly used in Brazil to this day.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016-02-02 20:58 by Markdog.

If you love to play russian roulette and you are pregnant then feel free to go to any countries where there are signs of Zika. Anywhere there might be Dengue Fever there might be Zika.

Ask the mothers of those 4,000 children with brain damage if they are happy with the situation. It is a tragedy. Unless you live in South America, don't go there if you are pregnant. If fact, if you are pregnant don't travel out of your comfort zone. Any professional travel doctor say the same. A pregnancy is not something you bring into a danger zone. You want your baby to be healthy and normal.

By the way there was 3,800 children with brain damage last week, this weekl it is 4,300, and by the end of the year, I am afraid it is a tragedy, a big scary number. Please please don't be paret of it if you can avoid it.

And if you hate WHO for some political reason, please do NOT bring your political campaigns here. The World Health Organization is here to coordinate the world health. Nobody else can do that. Sure there are local miracle doctors, but health is global these days.

Bjornulf

Bv, thanks for your post. I have lived in Southeast Asia for 14 years, South Asia for 3 years, and South America for 2 years. You don't want to fool around with any mosquito born viruses. I have had Dengue fever twice, which is transmitted from the same mosquito that Zika is transpitted from, and also there is Chickengunya. The World Health Organization does amazing work throughout the world, and when they are worried everyone should listen. This stuff is not to be trifled with.

A case of sexually transmitted zika: [www.bbc.com]
Be careful people

Florida in the US has just delcared a health crisis in several counties due to the Zika virus.

Quote
whitem8
Florida in the US has just delcared a health crisis in several counties due to the Zika virus.

Someone said the government of El Salvador has told their women not to have any babies until 2018!

[gosporttimes.com]

I find it a bit alarming that Sally Wood is on tour with them.Up to her but not worth the risk as mosquitos are everywhere.Just a bit worried for her.

Sally is not on tour with the boys. A wise decision.

Thank god for that

Saw an analogy...

Mosquitoes are like a bunch of dirty infected flying syringe needles... coming right for you.

I just watched newsnight here in the U.K and they had a report about the zika virus in Columbia,it seems that the virus is getting stronger and making some people seriously sick,a doctor who was interviewed said it was a kind of zika plus virus a new stronger version of the virus.

Nate

They say, if you are pregnant, or you intend to get pregnant within the next couple of years, then don't go to South America.

Also, the reccomendation is they say young girls should get the Zika virus now like with children's diseases, then they will be immune for a later virus. I assume the researchers work on a vaccine now but it takes time.

Bjornulf

It might be more dangerous than that..

[www.reuters.com]

the BIG problem with zika at the moment is that they have no clue.. they 'think' this, or it is 'likely' that.. I'm a scientist and if I say things like that, I mean "I don't know really"