I try not to feed into hype. I believe that most of the time the media feeds us the story that they want us paying attention to. Not too long ago NYC was pretty much shut down because of an Ebola scare. Ebola is a scary disease. According to the WHO there are over 15,000 throughout the world. A number of these cases result in death. Source Shortly after the City and the entire US was thrown into a frenzy where anyone that traveled to countries in Africa was given a side eye the hype went silent. The Ebola scare was over.
Next NYC suffered from a Legionnaires outbreak. Again the media had us in a tizzy. We were scared to go out of our homes because it might be in the air. More than 120 New Yorkers suffered and 12 died from the disease last summer. Source
Now we are being warned against the Zika virus. You get Zika from a mosquito bite. Currently there are 153 cases reported in the US and 107 in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. Source
I have heard so many rumors about the Zika virus. One woman told me that she was told it can make you start walking backwards! Reading from CDC and WHO they say it can cause complications if you are pregnant or planning to be pregnant. They also do not have a vaccine for it. Most of the symptoms are mild and last only for a few days. It’s the possibility that is frightening. It can cause neurological and auto-immune complications. Source
I travel to Puerto Rico for work every May and bring Minime so that while I’m working she can have a vacation. Our flights were booked early February. Today I cancelled my dad’s and Minime’s flights. I know that I cannot take a chance that my sweet child is bit by a bug on the island and infected. Logically though I know that we get mosquitoes in NYC and she does gets bit so this isn’t something I can definitively protect her from. I just wanted to take a precaution.
This is really hard for me as I will be gone for a week and Minime has barely spent 1 night without me. It also will probably be the end to our breastfeeding journey as my supply is already dwindling since she only nurses when tired.
It’s still cold enough in NYC that we don’t have to worry about mosquitoes now but I’m still planning ahead. I suggest you do the same. It’s always better to be over prepared than get caught out there.
Repellents should contain DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide), IR3535 (3-[N-acetyl-N-butyl]-aminopropionic acid ethyl ester) or icaridin (1-piperidinecarboxylic acid, 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-methylpropylester). Product label instructions should be strictly followed. Special attention and help should be given to those who may not be able to protect themselves adequately, such as young children, the sick or elderly. Source
