Zika is terrifying.

The mosquito-borne illness is continuing to expand throughout Southeast Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean—where many Americans vacation—and has arrived in Puerto Rico and Florida. It causes serious birth defects, including microcephaly—babies born with “tiny head” syndrome, a condition in which the brain does not develop properly, leading to severe developmental problems, seizures, blindness and more. There’s a link to the paralyzing autoimmune disease Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and new research shows that the virus may attack adult brains, too.

There’s no vaccine—and no treatment. So, what if you’re planning a vacation to a heavily infected area such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Barbados, Mexico, Panama or Brazil?

Time to reconsider?

Surprisingly, for most adults, unless you’re pregnant or planning to get pregnant, it’s fine to go ahead with your travel plans.

“It’s generally a very mild disease,” says board-certified travel medicine expert Phyllis Ellen Kozarsky, MD, a professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. “Zika represents a horrifying illness for women who are pregnant—but for most people, it’s either asymptomatic or mild.”

Here’s the nitty-gritty…

  • Women who are pregnant should not travel to affected areas, including Puerto Rico and some areas around Miami, Florida. Women and men who are trying to conceive may also want to avoid these areas, but if you do go, it’s time for a pause in your baby-making plans—women should wait at least eight weeks (and men six months) after returning before trying to conceive . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded its travel alert to dozens of countries. Find out more here.
  • For all other adults, the travel risk should be minimal. “It’s a nuisance,” said Dr. Kozarsky. Indeed, 80% of the people who get infected with Zika don’t ever have symptoms. Even if you do get sick—symptoms may include a fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes—“you’ll likely just stay home for a few days and then feel better. Most people don’t even go to a doctor.”
  • What about Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)? “There is a link between Zika and GBS, which usually does not result in death but can lead to frightening and serious problems, such as muscle weakness or paralysis,” Dr. Kozarsky said. “With time, we will learn more about post-Zika problems in adults. Many severe illnesses in adults can result in post-infectious syndrome, and we don’t know much about this yet. Zika is one of many viruses that can trigger GBS under certain circumstances. In sum, it’s a low risk.”
  • However, if you’re immunocompromised—you’re taking high-dose steroids, for example, or undergoing chemotherapy—you may want to avoid any travel to a locale where there are serious infectious disease risks, including Zika virus.
  • If you do go to a Zika-affected area, be sure to protect yourself. Wear insect repellent all the time. “We used to say to wear repellent when outside between dusk and dawn, but the Aedes mosquito, which carries Zika, can bite indoors or outdoors as well as during the day,” she said. Zika isn’t the only reason you want to avoid mosquito bites, she noted—mosquitoes also can carry other diseases, including dengue fever and chikungunya, which may be more serious than Zika and potentially deadly. You can use a repellent that contains DEET or, if you want to avoid it, there are CDC-recommended repellents such as those that contain oil of lemon eucalyptus. (Learn more about non-DEET alternatives here.) “Make sure you follow directions on the container telling you how often to reapply it,” said Dr. Kozarsky.

If you do go on vacation or on business to a country that has Zika, you’ll want to take precautions when you return. (That’s also true if you’re welcoming a friend or relative just back from, say, Brazil.) If you get symptoms that might be related to Zika, tell your doctor—and be vigilant about mosquito protection for at least three weeks after you return home. This isn’t to protect you, but to protect others, especially pregnant women—by helping to prevent the disease from spreading via mosquitoes in the US.

 

 

Related Articles