Zika virus - Holiday advice

[3yearsnosleep]

I have a holiday booked to go to the Canaries on Sat. I know that the Canaries are not on the list at the moment but I'm still worrying as I'm 19 weeks pregnant. I thought I would wait and see if a warning against the Canaries was put out but then, I realised that I could go there, get bitten and then when a warning comes out when I'm back it'll be too late.

Am I being a worry wart or would other people be tempted not to go?

This disease is being followed very very carefully. if the canaries isn't on the list at the moment then, at the moment, they have no cases. would suggest you just keep an eye out on the advice and see what it is.

personally, I would go.

the aedes mosquito needs tropical climates to survive. The Canaries are not suitable for it.

BTW all the areas affected are also endemic for dengue, carried by the same mosquito. No-one seemed worried by that and I expect that the chances of getting zika are lower. Dengue can kill BTW.

My friend works for Thompson and has just messaged me to say they have just announced a case in Spain.

I'm concerned as we are due to go to Morrocco in March and I'll be 14 weeks (we booked while we were tcc)

I would still go. The mosquito carrying the disease is not in the canaries, canaries is not a tropical climate

The case in Spain is in someone recently returned from South America. It has made the news because the patient is pregnant. There have been a handful of other cases diagnosed in Sapin, all amongst travellers.

There have been 6 cases of zika in Britain (none in pregnant women). All brought in by travellers. It does not make UK a risk area.

Unless it jumps into another vector, it will not take hold in areas where the aedes mosquito does not live.

scaevola - you are right particularly the unless it jumps into another vector bit. This is the issue that everyone is concentrating on at the moment because of sexual transmission (how long does the virus stay active in your system) and of course the nightmare scenario of person to person.

I heard in the news this week that monitoring possible other vectors is one of the lines of study, but haven't found anything authoritative about what they are finding (or not finding).