Health Feature by Gabrielle Bauer by Gabrielle Bauer Here’s the latest on Zika in Florida and the islands South Florida holds a special place in many snowbirds’ hearts. The weather, the water, the ubiquity of fellow Canadians…and, as of last year, the Zika virus. No doubt about it: Zika put a damper on many people’s enthusiasm for the annual trek to ’gator country. Smoother sailing ahead Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control carved upMiami-Dade County into “red” or “yellow” regions for Zika transmission, meaning regions in which the virus had been spreading locally. At one point, almost all of Miami Beach was red. Accordingly, the CDCwarned travellers toMiami-Dade to use extra caution and advised pregnant women to avoid going there altogether. As of August 29, however, the CDC has delisted the warning colours, so you can go ahead and book that time-share in South Beach. Of the 118 Zika cases reported in Florida in 2017, the majority were acquired outside of the U.S., and the locally acquired infections arose from exposure to the virus in 2016. At the same time, Florida recently confirmed its first case of sexually transmitted Zika this year. When a Florida resident’s partner showed symptoms after a trip to Cuba, the couple got tested for Zika ‒ and both tested positive. It’s a good reminder that Zika doesn’t just travel via mosquitoes [see sidebar]. In fact, men can carry the virus in their semen for up to six months ‒ something to keep in mind when packing your suitcase. (Condoms offer protection.) A pinch of caution required And what about the Caribbean islands? On the CDC’s world Zika map, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Caicos Islands are still coloured dark purple, meaning that they’re “areas with risk of Zika transmission” ‒ on a par withmost parts of Mexico and Costa Rica. To put this in perspective, however, Puerto Rico ‒ one of the hardest-hit islands ‒ had about 35,000 cases of Zika in 2016. Over the first seven months of 2017, the number fell to 474. Experts attribute the drastic change to what scientists call herd immunity, which occurs when a critical mass of people develop resistance to an infectious threat. If high-altitude treks are your thing, you have still less to fear: Zika-spreading mosquitoes generally live below 6,500 feet of altitude, and the odds of contracting Zika from higher-flying biters drop to near-negligible levels. Ditto for Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint Barthélemy; no recent signs of Zika activity on those shores. All told, outbreaks have subsided all over the Caribbean, so Zika need not be your top consideration as you pick an island this year. ZIKA SOUTH See also: www.snowbirds.org/csanews/issues/103/ CSANews-103.pdf (p. 36) travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/ travel-health-notices/152 Zika 101 Zika spreads to people through the bite of an infected mosquito or through sexual contact. The flu-like symptoms caused by the virus may be so mild that you’ll never know you had it. Pregnant women face the greatest risk from Zika, which can cause their babies to be born with underdeveloped heads and brains. This doesn’t mean that older Canadians can disregard the virus, as their weaker immune systems may increase the risk of complications. If you’re spending time in a Zika-prone area: • Use insect repellent on exposed skin • Cover up with lightly coloured, long-sleeved shirts and long pants • Avoid staying in rooms with damaged windows or door screens • Use bed nets Old News or NewThreat? 42 | www.snowbirds.org
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