Poll: Zika Virus Discourages Many from LatAm Travel Reuters
go to original February 7, 2016

Mexico anticipates rise in confirmed Zika virus cases ((CCTV America)

The rapidly spreading Zika virus is discouraging many Americans from traveling to Latin America and the Caribbean, with 41 percent of those aware of the disease saying they are less likely to take such a trip, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows.

The poll is the latest sign the virus, suspected to be linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil, could depress travel to popular cold-weather getaways in the coming months.

Airlines and cruise ship operators have yet to report drops in bookings because of Zika, and analysts have downplayed the impact that newly sedentary parents-to-be could have on their revenue.

Still, awareness of the mosquito-borne virus has surged to nearly two-thirds of Americans, according to the poll of 1,595 adults in the United States conducted Feb. 1-5. That compares with 45 percent who had heard of Zika in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from late January.

"I am actively trying to get pregnant with my husband, so I am a little bit concerned," said Erica, a respondent who said she was bitten by a mosquito during a January trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Zika has been reported.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to areas with an active outbreak of Zika, and the World Health Organization has declared an international emergency over the disease.

Read the rest at Yeni Safak

Related: Oaxaca University Students 'CitroRepel' Zika Mosquito Repellent (Mexico News Daily)

The CDC Recommendations for Pregnant Women Traveling to Mexico

Women who are pregnant (in any trimester):

   • Consider postponing travel to any area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
   • If you must travel to one of these areas, talk to your doctor first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during your trip.
   • If you have a male partner who lives in or has traveled to an area where Zika transmission is ongoing, either abstain from sex or use condoms consistently and correctly for the duration of your pregnancy.

Women who are trying to become pregnant:

   • Before you or your male partner travel, talk to your doctor about your plans to become pregnant and the risk of Zika virus infection.
   • You and your male partner should strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites.

Related: CDC Reiterates Zika Travel Notice for Mexico with Upcoming Pope Visit (Outbreak News Today)

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