Zika threat

It's my understanding that the Puerto Rican Health Department has declared the Zika threat basically over, but the CDC still perceives elevated risk. I would look at the CDC's recommendations and maybe consult with your personal physician. Everybody has a unique situation and risk tolerance. For myself, none of my friends or family who were even thinking of conceiving came to visit.

Thanks for the response!  That's what I had read as well.  Now to try and figure out a plan!

My advice is postpone having kids for a year or so, lets see how it develops, ZI tend to believe the CDC and not the government.

There is so much misinformation being dissemenated on Zika.

1) First of all, it's been around for decades and was never considered of any importance until recently.
2) 80% of infected individuals have no symptoms
3) Of those who have symptoms, it is nothing more than something similar to a mild flu, which goes awa in a few days.

So, what's the big deal?  A new strain of the virus started spreading from an epicenter in Brazil. Researchers believe pesticide spraying in that area resulted in a mutated viral strain infecting mosquitos in that region. This mutation resulted in incidences of microcephaly to some babies born from infected mothers. The risk of this was less than 10% to infected pregnant mothers and occured almost exclusively in the first trimester.

Zika is in Puerto Rico, but to date only one baby has been born with this deformity, and there is question as to where the mother actually contracted the disease. She was a poor woman who had no prenatal care and poor nutrition.

Mosquitos carry MUCH WORSE diseases than Zika and they are pretty much everywhere. Use spray and don't hang out where they breed, as you would anyway. I wouldn't let the threat of Zika keep me from visiting or living in Puerto Rico or starting a family.

Thanks!  We're kind of up against a wall of age to have kids, but it is true things might be very different in a year!  I know there has been a lot of change in risk since this time last year.

With education and measures taken to decrease the chance of mosquito-breeding, the Zika threat (which I thingk was overblown in the first place) has been greatly reduced in PR.

Originally, the CDC allowcated funds for spraying in PR. Upon further research it decided it wasn't necessary and the negative resulting from spraying outweighed the positive.

First, the threat wasn't quite as great as originally thought

Second, spraying was too indiscriminate and could get into drinking water sources, kill fish and other wildlife, including  those that feed on mosquitos.

Third, spraying kills bees which could adversely affect the agricultural economy for years. Such was done in Carolina with disastrous consequences.

Another type of less-harmful insecticide (one which only targets mosquitos) was eventually used in high-risk areas.

My OB tested for Zika every trimester here. Even though it's hot and humid take precautions and use repellent or long sleeves and pants. Mosquitoes are everywhere. I had an OB appt in the states and was told not to go back to PR, why chance it. Here, OBs will tell you to protect yourself from mosquitoes. I'm a month away from my due date here in PR.

Heres a few links on Zika reports:
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option … Itemid=270
http://www.salud.gov.pr/Sobre-tu-Salud/ … 0Women.pdf

There is also "weekly" reporting of Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya confirmed cases by date and municipality.
http://www.salud.gov.pr/Estadisticas-Re … eZika.aspx