Chikungunya in the Caribbean

Received a CDC newsletter message about this.

Chikungunya in the Caribbean

Has anyone on current/recent Celebrity Caribbean cruises received any warnings about it onboard ship?

Now I am wondering if this should be a cause for greater concern than the usual warnings about trying to prevent mosquito bites, particularly in regard to cruises for young children or the elderly, or anyone with serious health problems.

Definitely.

Chickungunja is not life threatening but it is nasty....fever, serious body aches which last for a long time.

It is in Puerto Rico now (where I live) and we do take extra precaution.

So far, though, I know nobody who has gotten this new disease.

Ive been reading about it for a year or more in these boards, seems to be more of an FYI than anything else, although it seems to now be prevalent all over rather than limited to a specific country.

It's also in the USA:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/17/health/mosquito-disease-chikungunya-u-s-/

Also West Nile is a mosquito borne transmitted illness, also in the USA.

One should take normal precautions in both the caribbean and in Florida or anywhere mosquitos live.

Probably have more of a chance of getting Noro from someone bringing it aboard the ship than either of the mosquito diseases while on a shorex. Probably have more chance of being hit by a car too.

Greetings

Here is Florida we have reported cases of chick v, west nile, and dengue fever. Most of us still carry on as normal. If we go to an area we know is prime mosquito habitat we take precautions. The same is true in the islands. Just use common sense and you should be fine.

Good Sailing

Tom

Greetings

 

Here is Florida we have reported cases of chick v, west nile, and dengue fever. Most of us still carry on as normal. If we go to an area we know is prime mosquito habitat we take precautions. The same is true in the islands. Just use common sense and you should be fine.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

Great advice, Tom! :cool:

My niece honeymooned at Sandals in St Lucia the last week of Aug into the first week of Sept. of this year.

Upon arriving home she got very very sick with a high fever, body aches, and swollen joints.

She is a school teacher and pretty much missed the first two weeks of school. Some days she couldnt even get out of bed and walk.

Even though she told the doctors that she was in the Caribbean, they checked her for anything and everything except Chikungunya.

Being a frequent cruiser to the Caribbean, I was aware of this mosquito borne illness and kept telling her to tell the doctor to check her for it.

After weeks of suffering, she went to a very good hospital here on Long Island and they pretty much pegged it right away, but did the blood test to be sure. She did have it, and it was considered a severe case. There really is no treatment for it, it has to run its course, but they did give her anti-inflammatorys to help with the swelling.

Thankfully she is on the road to recovery, but still has some residual aches and pains from it. She was told it could take up to a year to clear completely.

They told her that most doctors wont check for it, because in most cases people who get Chikungunya are over it within a couple of weeks and it takes that long for the blood tests to confirm it.

I myself think it would be on the low end of probability to contract this illness on a cruise. I have sailed to the Caribbean in the winter, spring and early summer and have never even seen a mosquito. I guess it depends on what excursions you do and what areas you are in.

Just like you do with West Niles here in the states, protect yourself with whatever you are comfortable using to ward off bites.

I wouldnt let the slim chance of getting this illness stop me from vacationing.

Thanks for the info, everyone.

We received no warnings about chikungunya at all on our Caribbean cruise last year.

So I was surprised to receive this alert about it from the CDC now and to learn that it is so widespread.

It looks like it would be a dreadful illness to get, especially on vacation and for those who are already suffering from other painful conditions, considering that there isn't even a treatment for it.

I guess the only consolation is that at least it is not life threatening.

Even though the chance of getting it may be slim, if you happen to be one who gets it that fact would not be of any comfort to you.

CruisersTimesThree, I hope your niece is feeling much better.

For many years we vacationed in St. Martin. WE flew in and stayed for a few weeks. When chikungunya started to spread, we changed to cruising instead of staying in St. Martin. Last winter, there were many new cases of the disease. Mosquitoes in St. Martin are vicious. They are especially bad after dark. Daytime is okay. Just to be safe, many people use repellant and/or cover up. I saw people last winter wearing long sleeves and long pants. I did not hear of any people cruising that got chik. Is it getting worse?

According to news reports that I read, it's better in St. Martin at the momemt, but this year's rainy season is yet to come.