To be worried about going on holiday pregnant to somewhere with the Zika mosquitos but no Zika?

[Accoooooo]

Less AIBU, more AIB-overreacting.

I'm 23 weeks pregnant. I've been quite anxious for a number of reasons.

Due to go to Madeira in a couple of weeks. Didn't even think to check about Zika before I booked it, I've now checked and the WHO said in 2022 that Madeira has the Aedes mosquito that carries Zika and they expect cases there in the future. There haven't actually been any Zika cases reported there so far.

I ALWAYS get bitten if there are mosquitos around. I understand it's a low low risk, I would have to get bitten and the mosquito have Zika and then infect me and then the baby be affected which is quite a chain of things to happen.

But obviously there is a risk and I would never forgive myself if the baby was impacted just for a holiday.

Any wise words of advice? Would you go?

No, I wouldn't take the risk.

Absolutely not worth the risk

Yes sorry I also wouldn't go away anywhere that could present a risk to my unborn

Sorry OP i wouldn't and didn't risk it. I was booked to go St Lucia when Zika kicked off c7 years ago, there were no cases there at the time but the travel agent let us change destination for a small admin fee and had to pay the holiday price difference.

I wouldn’t chance it myself. Can you see if you can pay a fee to change the destination?

dont chance it

You’re not overreacting, OP. Best to rearrange or postpone your travel plans until some time after the birth. The risk is likely very low but why take it at all?

I wouldn't go as I wouldn't enjoy it even if the chance was so slim. It would be on my mind too much for me to relax.

Have you spoken to a travel clinic for up to date advice? When I was having IVF, I specifically avoided anywhere with the risk. Women obviously life/work in these countries though, but I don't know current risks.

There have definitely been no actual cases of Zika there, so I really do think the risk is almost nothing.

Booked everything direct so can't change anything, but being worried about this money is not really a priority obviously if there is a risk.

I feel SO stupid for not checking, but I honestly thought it was South America, Asia, etc etc that were a risk.

In April/ May time in Madeira you are unlikely to encounter any mosquitoes at all. I would take sensible precautions and crack on. We all assess risk differently though.
I don’t think there’s been any transmission of the virus in Madeira.
if you don’t feel comfortable and it’ll worry your holiday- I would rebook and go somewhere else. Perhaps stick to the UK while you are pregnant.

I would go you only live once and they have no reported cases. Even in those infected in 2nd trimester <7% have birth defects you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

The information online is so woolly.

There is just that one article from WHO saying that they expect at some point Zika will appear in Europe in places with these mosquitos (which to be fair is also places like France, Spain etc)

Then there are the UK government linked advice pages which don't have any mention of Zika risk for Madeira - in contrast to say Mexico where it is flagged as one of the things to consider.

The information online is so woolly.
Hence I suggested going to a travel clinic for up to date, medical advice. They will do a risk assessment on you and give you the stats.

If you have visited Madeira you are unable to donate blood for 4 weeks due to risk of tropical disease including Zika and this does not apply to the rest of the country so there seems to be enough of a risk associated with Madeira specifically for the BTS to exclude. Not sure if that is helpful info or not but it seems the risk is low but still potentially there.
I’m certainly no expert on this though!

Thank you, I've never needed to visit a travel clinic before so didn't know they would give this kind of information.

That does help with understanding the level of risk, thank you.

I can’t find any sort of travel clinic that doesn’t seem to be just a regular pharmacy that does vaccinations, so I think I will try my GP.

I'm sorry I just wouldn't go with this knowledge. Worth paying to transfer flights and accommodation. If you can't transfer accommodation- cancel and take the hit. Just not worth the risk.

We have Aedes mosquitos in the U.K. - they are everywhere. They also carry yellow fever and dengue fever if they are in parts of the world where this is a problem. They can only transmit a disease by picking it up in the blood of an infected host and taking it to another host, who then develops the disease.

If there are no people in Madeira with Zika then the mosquitos won’t be able to transmit it. They might bite you, but they won’t pass on the disease. You’re not worried about getting yellow fever or dengue fever in Madeira, or the U.K. for that matter, so you’ll be fine.

Having said that, if you won’t feel comfortable then there might not be any point in going if you’ll be stressed all the time. You can take precautions by
covering up in the evenings and using mosquito repellent.

Just Google. Look at NaTHNaC for advice for where you're travelling. That's all the nurse will do.

Thank you, I totally understand this as the facts.

But then other people’s reactions make me wonder if I’m underestimating the risk!

To be honest I just want someone to tell me what to do.

That’s useful - thank you. I have looked on there, no mention of Zika at all.

I’d go but I was pregnant in 2017 and living in SE Asia where cases were abundant. In a country where the just have the right species of mosquito but no cases I wouldn’t worry.