Roatan cautions?

I've just booked a trip for my husband and me to Roatan. We're staying at Paradise Island. I tried for AKR, but they had no A/C rooms left -- we're from Alabama, and will sell blood to pay the power bill to keep the A/C running in August. Can anyone tell me if you have to worry about getting sick from drinking the water? We've been to Mexico a few times and are always very careful. Is the water situation about the same? I've read the reports about the bugs, and was wondering if anyone who's been there took the precaution of taking chloroquine for malaria.

I stayed at the inn of last resort and you can drink the water there. They have their own well and process it. I would not drink it anywhere else on the island unless it was bottled. I'm not familiar with the water at paradise island


Better safe than sorry

We just got back from CoCo View June 14th. I wouldn't drink anything but bottled water unless you know the source for sure. In general sand flies are the biggest bug problem. Maleria is not a problem. I had the same question a number of years ago when we first started going there. A former US military Doc with considerable experience in Viet Nam and later a tropical disease expert who retired there told me it has not been a problem on the Bay Islands. He said the preventative was considerably more dangerous than the risk of contracting Maleria. Do get your Hepititus shots though, lots of latrines directly over the water in the towns not all that far away from dive sites. I'm not aware of anyone contracting hepititus there but its just too easy to prevent to not get the shots. Good advise if you travel anywhere that sanitation might be spotty. Have fun. The diving is great. Go slow and look for the little stuff.

Thanks, kkrepps. That's very helpful -- just the kind of information I was looking for.

You've covered a couple of topic areas:

1. Safety of water.

As with any destination in the Honduras, on Roatan it is wise to drink only bottled water. I do get periodic reports of divers developing GI distress, occasionally serious, at both resorts & restaurants.

For example, CoCoView had a major problem for a while, bad enough that it was written up in Undercurrent http://www.undercurrent.org/ several times within the past 6 month, although it apparently has quieted down now.

This thread from our board archives goes into detail on the prevention & treatment of traveler's diarrhea---->

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12608&highlight=travelers+diarrhea

2. Malaria.

There indeed is malaria on Roatan, and current CDC risk areas include, "Honduras: Rural areas only, including all areas (including resort areas) on Roatán and other Bay Islands." Luckily, it is not prevalent, and most visitors do not take malaria prophylaxis.

However, because it does exist, and because of the ubiquitous no see ums (sand fleas), one will at the least want to take preventative measures against being bitten.

The last reply in this thread from our board archives goes into great detail on such preventive measures---->

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9382&highlight=permethrin

Hope that you found this helpful.

DocVikingo

Thank you, DocVikingo, that helps a lot. Can you comment on the hepatitis risk mentioned by kkrepps?

Surely.

There are multiple types of hepatitis-- A, B, C, D & E.

For the casual tourist on a short dive trip to a place like Roatan who intends to avoid risky behaviors (e.g., unprotected sex with unknown partners, IV drug use), hepatitis A is probably the biggest concern.

It primarily is spread in the same way as traveler's diarrhea--fecal contamination. Food, water or drink contaminated with the feces of persons who carry the virus, or direct contact with such persons, can result in transmission.

There is an effective vaccine against hepatitis A, immune globulin (IG), and this needs to be started about a month before travel to the risk area is begun.

I do not know the exact extent of hepatitis A in Roatan, although it no doubt is elevated. Any physician can contact or refer a patient to a travel medicine specialist to get a current approximation of risk. These doctors can advise on what preventative protocols are appropriate for the geographical area in question.

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

Thanks so much for the thoroughness of your reply.....Now, can you help me with this pain I've been having........

I wouldn't drink tap water anywhwere on the island, even if the resort claimed it was okay. Wouldn't risk it. I used CDC suggested procedures for treating my own in the room.

I didn't take malaia preventative, in '01, but I had a lot of "colds" the year following - and everytime I got one, I worried! I'm going late this month, and I'm taking the meds, as well as the water treatment, the repellent, etc. Not worried; just taking precautions so I can dive 4 or 5 times a day on wonderful walls and reefs!

Have fun...

I would take the CDC warnings with a grain of salt. They currently warn for Cancun but not Cozumel. If you've ever wandered through the ruins at San Gustavo (sp?) there are certainly plenty of blood suckers there. They also warn about all of Belize except for Belize City which has open sewers and lots of stagnent water with LOTS of mesquitos while a number of the cayes and costal areas are much less misquito riden. SO - ??? As far as the situation at CoCo View, do a complete search of the topic at Rodales message board. It is not as cut and dried as Doc Vikingo's post might lead you to believe. There is a pretty heated set of assertions on both sides. See for instance Terry Evan's comment on being quoted in Undercurrent Finally - yes there are sand fies every where on Roatan use DEET and/or Cactus Juice