What is Zika?
Per the Centers for Disease Control: “Zika is a disease caused by the Zika virus spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week.”
That does not sound like an appealing thing to contract but also doesn’t tell the entire story. Zika is being very strongly linked to Microcephaly. Microcephaly is a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly and a host of other issues causing severe lifelong problems. That is the main cause for Zika Freaka Syndrome.
The best way to avoid getting Zika
Do not go parts of the world where the Zika virus has been reported
Now we are bad at math but looking at the global map above which shows where Zika has been reported we estimate that easily 80% of the world is unaffected. So go to those places. (This is why you don’t have to be all that smart to be a travel blogger.)
Women who are pregnant or even entertaining the notion should not even consider going near these places. Period.
If you have already booked and paid for a trip try to get a refund, see if your travel insurance will help cover any losses you incur or suck it up and take the financial hit. What would be worse? Losing $3,000 for a Caribbean getaway or having a child with a debilitating and incurable medical condition? (If you can not answer that without thinking for a long time we recommend you not become a parent.)
Blonde has watched all 113 seasons of Gray’s Anatomy and this is her best advice based on that considerable expertise.
How to lower your chances of getting Zika if you do go where it is
Use mosquito repellent
Yes, it’s yucky, can smell bad and make your skin feel greasy. But so can fish and chips and you probably eat them anyway.
Mosquito repellent will also help to protect you against Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, Zika or other types of mosquito-borne illnesses. The other ones did not go away just because Zika is getting all of the attention. An analogy could be that just because Donald Trump is getting all of the attention and is horrifying does not mean Ted Cruz is not also horrifying. The same female Aedes mosquito transmits all of the diseases and, disappointingly, has not yet made a run at The Donald (perhaps he thinks Megyn Kelly is one of those girl mosquitoes out to get him).
Here’s a legitimate scientific study measuring the efficacy of various mosquito repellents.
If mosquito repellent is going to work you have to use it correctly. Do not apply it under your clothes, only on exposed flesh but not on cuts or sores. (Can you imagine how much of it would be required to cover the exposed flesh of a Kardashian?)
Be sure you reapply according to the frequency cited on the product. Sprays mask the skin odors most attractive to mosquitoes and make it possible for people to hide in plain sight. (Don’t take that term too literally. If your husband is coming over to the table where you are dining with your lover, spraying mosquito repellent will not help and will only make things messier.)
If you do not check your luggage and have to worry about how many ounces of liquids you are carrying or want to risk the spray going rogue in your checked suitcase you can buy small towelletes of some of the products in most grocery or drug stores. We carry them in our purses when we go where we are expecting mosquitoes.
Wear the right, meaning white, clothes
Loose-fitting long white clothes are turnoffs to mosquitos. Sometimes they are a turn off to people also but we are not here for a fashion discussion.
Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em
The female Aedes mosquitoes who transmit Zika go out primarily in the afternoon. Use that time to go into air conditioning and take a nap, eat, read a book, see a film or visit a museum but do not do something that will make a baby. (That might include drinking alcohol.)
Spray your clothes (or buy some that are already coated) with Permethrin
Permethrin was first used as an insect repellent on clothing for the U.S. military. In 2003 it was approved for use on clothing and gear for consumers as well as being a way to pre-treat clothing. You can buy clothing that has been pre-treated with permethrin or get some and spray it on your clothes. It does not stain your clothes but fabrics coated in it (whether by you or the manufacturer) need to be washed separately from other clothes. Here is some exciting reading material about permethrin from the EPA.
Know if you have characteristics that naturally attract mosquitoes
We all know people who have never once been passed over by a hungry mosquito and others who seem to go through life unbitten by mosquitoes. The Smithsonian Magazine recently compiled a list of 9 reasons some people get bitten more often than others
Get a pre-trip blood transfusion
In our exhaustive research and wine-drinking we learned that people with Type O blood are significantly more appealing targets for mosquitoes than are those with other types of blood. A transfusion is a hassle and we can not make any promises about it being covered by your health insurance policy, but maybe if you refer them to this scientific study it well help.
Remember that Zika virus’s biggest threat is to pregnant women
If you have pregnancy on your mind or in your tummy just do not risk going anywhere with the threat of Zika.
But also remember that mosquitoes transmit a lot of other also serious and even deadly diseases so use these precautions anywhere that mosquitoes are an issue.
Disclosure that is not required but we like making them: We were not given any mosquito bites in exchange for writing this post.