Chikungunya

[DandyDon]

And I read that Yellow Fever is making a come back.

Avon Skin So Soft had a reputation for repelling mosquitoes, and they liked the increased sales - but that did not hold up in tests, so they added Picaridin. Too bad it doesn't work on other skeeters.

 

[Kharon]

Seriously though I think at that high a concentration, it will melt plastic and such.....

Even low concentrations will damage plastic, neoprene, silicone straps, etc. I don't want Deet anywhere near my diving equipment. I'll stick with picaradin and permethrin. It's worked for me in the past.

 

[burrito]

I've never used skeeter repellent in Coz, even though we always go out of town and tour the island. Feel a little foolish now that I think about it... I know there have been times I've been swarmed by them.

Bought these Natrapel wipes (picaridin based) awhile ago, going to use them on my trip coming up in Jan.

Amazon.com: Adventure Medical Kits/Tender Corporation Natrapel, 8 Hour deet free repellent 12 pack wipes: Health & Personal Care

 

[Wandersome]

If you get something in a foreighn country you should go to a travel doctor to get it checked. I have lived overseas for 20 years. Malaria meds are in my bag on every trip. Buy them outside the US for a few $'s because in the USA it takes a week or two to get and they are over $100.00. Remember, you can get tested for Malaria and have it show negative if the virus is in the wrong cycle, or if you are taking malaria prophylactics. Malaria Prophylactics do not keep you from getting Malaria... They mask the symptoms. (I've had Malaria 5 times) The last time I felt symptoms as I was entering the USA and was lucky enough to choose a foreign doctor who knew what it was. I tested negative but he understood and prescribe the meds regardless.

Chikungunga is also a popular virus in Haiti where I live now. As noted, the only real way to insure you don't get it is not to get bitten by a mosquito. Use Mosquito nets and keep doors and windows closed and hope the electricity stay on to run the fans all night... Wind or fans do keep mosquitoes to a minimum. Good luck and make sure you tell any Dr. you were in an area where these diseases are common.

Wandersome

 

[Dave Dillehay]

We keep 50% deet at the Villa for our guests. WE buy 100% and cut it down with water. IN my mind, 40% or more is the safest. We see so many people arrive with "mosquito repellant" that is just 10% deet and pretty useless. Read the label.

Dave Dillehay

 

[NYCNaiad]

When comparing dengue to the common cold, it might be helpful to keep in mind the literal translation: break-bone fever.

You say it's like a bad cold, but you're still paying for it a year later, and your dive buddy took 2.5 years to get her strength back. Now, that's some bad cold.

When I wrote, "Malaria is nothing; Malaria is death. Dengue is like a bad cold; 2% of people die from it" I was actually noting the extremes of how people think of malaria and dengue. I definitely got a horrible version of dengue, but some people dp experience it like a bad cold. I had the 105+ degree fever and felt like my bones were breaking, etc. Even my eyeballs hurt at the time. Today, I still have some fatigue and am dealing with the side effects of being in bed for so long earlier this year.

Re: the dengue vaccine, I for one will definitely get it especially because if I get dengue again, my chances of an even more severe reaction are higher. I'm also a big proponent of vaccines in general and always review the vaccine and medicine recommendations for any area to which I travel. (It's pretty ironic. I was really worried about malaria going to the Philippines only to get hit by dengue instead.)

And KathyV, I'm a a naiad (a chick), not a he...but I appreciate you standing up for what I wrote.

 

[mstevens]

I for one will definitely get it

Maybe. Sanofi's tetravalent vaccine is only approved in a few countries and it's the only one now.

Everywhere I can see, it's approved only for those living in endemic areas (so not even all residents of a given country) and only for specified age ranges (which vary among countries in which it's approved).

Some information remains unclear even after the Phase III trials. That includes whether the current recommended schedule of 3 doses 6 months apart is needed - if so, that's going to make it less realistic for this to be useful to travelers or even part-time residents of endemic areas. It's also unclear what the duration of protection is so it's unknown if boosters will be needed. It does look as if seropositive individuals had quite a bit better postvaccination immunity than seronegative ones, so I guess you're ahead on that one.

It's a live attenuated vaccine, so not everyone who meets age and residency requirements is a candidate. Even potentially immunocompromised individuals shouldn't ordinarily use live attenuated vaccines. My recent leukemia diagnosis, for example, means I no longer qualify for live attenuated vaccines even though I'm not immunocompromised by any reasonable measure. Yet. My oncologist at DFCI joked that meant I couldn't get the Yellow Fever vaccine (which as an Air Force brat I got long ago) but sympathized that I can't get the prophylactic shingles vaccine (which, frankly, I'd been pumped about because who looks forward to shingles?). He didn't seem to understand my disappointment that I wouldn't be able to get a Dengue vaccine unless they come up with a different one (that's assuming they expand the age range to include me - I could likely have convinced someone in Cozumel that I'm sufficiently resident to surmount the residency hurdle). That's probably because he'd never seen dengue during his training in Boston and I did during mine in Texas - a fellow resident got it!.

 

[Wingy]

A new kid on the scene - Zika

http://www.theage.com.au/world/brai...ealth-organisation-warns-20160125-gmdssf.html

 

[mstevens]

Remember, you can get tested for Malaria and have it show negative if the virus is in the wrong cycle

Malaria is not caused by a virus. It's caused by a parasite.

 

[Christi]

However once you've had it you are immune.

Not true at all. Once you've had it, you are susceptible to having a more serious case the next time around - once you have had it, you are more likely to have hemorrhagic dengue the second and subsequent times. There are several different strains of it - so one could conceivably contract each strain, with more serious symptoms each time.

I had it in 2008 (picked up in Costa Rica based on the lab results and onset of symptoms, 4-5 days after I returned from CR) and then in 2011 had hemorrhagic Dengue here on the island