Chances of catching Zika

[BeccaT123]

I have a trip booked to Cuba (won’t get any money back and I’ve been looking forward to it for so long) and wondered if anyone knew what the risk of zika is there? Like what are the actual chances of getting it - are they very minimal?
I don’t want to take a risk if but also wondering if I can still go if I’m super careful (lots of mosquito spray, cover up as much as possible etc)
Surely women in Cuba get pregnant..
When I’ve looked it up online it doesn’t say anything about the Zika virus being active there but I know it has been there so wondered if anyone could help me as I feel very conflicted.
Thanks in advance.

Hi, ex cabin crew here! I can’t confirm or deny about Cuba being a zika risk, but some advice to try and prevent getting bitten while you are there is to not wear perfume! Mosquitos are attached to the smell, so just don’t wear it at all! And get some deet strength mosquito spray. I’d spray it on the balcony if I were you as it is very strong smelling, and just be aware it makes the floor super slippy so just be careful! I’ve had a quick look on the government website and it says that Cuba is a “risk”. Cuba is beautiful so if you do go, you will have an amazing time!

I’m going to cancun and that’s a risk too but I don’t want to miss it so my doctor said I just have to be super careful and I’ll be 30 weeks when I go and like you say I’m sure people in these places get pregnant so think as long as we are very careful we will be ok

Thank you! Good to know

Thanks so much! Great tips - I’ll do that

@nikki037297
That’s what I was thinking! Surely women get pregnant in these countries and as long as I’m super careful I bet the risk is actually very minimal. I’m still a bit nervous though!

The riskiest times are dawn and dusk so covering up is a good option where possible, if not use repellent but seek advice as to which is safe to use

Everyone will have their own risk tolerances but I moved my honeymoon from Sri Lanka / Maldives to Mauritius because i was TTC and didnt want to take the risk. As it was, i was very glad i did so, because i had very bad anxiety in pregnancy and a very poorly baby when born anyway due to sepsis. I would have found it very difficult if i was worrying that it was something that could have been avoided by switching a holiday. I know a couple who had a non-refundable holiday moved due to Zika because it was treated as medical grounds.

Re women in those countries getting pregnant, of course they do, but the risk is in getting Zika for the first time. The CDC says "From what we know about similar infections, once a person has been infected with Zika virus, he or she is likely to be protected from a future Zika infection." It's the same reason why we would take malaria tablets but the local people in malaria countries dont.

Hey what did you decide in the end?

@cflowerx Please speak to the practice nurse at your GP who does the holiday vaccinations. S/he will have access to the latest travel in terms of active infections, precautions and will be able to give you tailored health advice in terms of TTC.

Sorry that should be the latest travel information