Planning A trip to Florida this summer? Read This First……

So if you are planning a trip to Florida to visit family or Disneyland and are pregnant or planning to get pregnant soon or a man planning on fathering children in the near future then keep reading.

The Aedes Mosquitoe

The mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus have been found in Florida. Up until now the aedes mosquito could only be found in parts of Africa and Brazil but recently it has been discovered that the mosquito has arrived in South Florida.

The virus is mainly spread by mosquitoes but can also be transmitted sexually and can cause a rare but serious birth defect in babies called microcephaly i.e. incomplete brain development. Up until recently cases in America could be linked to Brazil, with one case occurring when an infected man who had visited Brazil came back to the States and infected his partner, who hadn’t left the country, by having sexually intercourse with her.

Avoid sex with potentially infected partner.

Other symptoms normally lasts 2-7 days and are mild and include fever, rash, joint pain and redness in the white of the eye but because these symptoms can be attributed to other things including stress, most people that have it will not know or suspect that they do. There have been very few fatalities with Zika though.

Some examples of the leading brands of  insect repellents

The best way to prevent getting infected is to prevent getting bitten in the first place. Using high DEET content insect repellent, wearing long sleeved shirts and trousers, removing standing water and staying in air conditioned rooms or rooms mosquito nets. If you are pregnant do not travel to areas with Zika. If your partner lives or has travelled to an area with Zika, do not have sex and if you must have sex then use a condom every time until the baby is born.

There is no vaccine available and no cure so Stay safe!