Zika Impact

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
All I can say is we are likely to skip WDW this fall and hit DL instead... I know it's unlikely anyone in the family would be bitten but considering they don't even seem to have any real clue as to how long the virus can stay in a person... Well... Why take a chance.
Wouldn't southern California be as susceptible to the virus as Florida. Maybe even more?
 

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
Wouldn't southern California be as susceptible to the virus as Florida. Maybe even more?

SoCal is susceptible b/c it is a habitat for the vector mosquitoes, but it doesn't have the same climate/humidity as the Gulf States and Florida so the risk for local transmission is much lower there.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Wouldn't southern California be as susceptible to the virus as Florida. Maybe even more?
Average rainfall in Orlando is 53 inches... In LA its about 13.... Souther California also has some desert areas that help keep humidity down... Compare that to Florida where you are really surrounded by water everywhere you go.

Mosquitoes will be a problem in some parts of California but only in local areas and only when the weather lines up perfectly... Will it eventually become more of an issue? Yes. But if you look at maps of where the mosquitoes that carry the virus have been detected its pretty clear the problem isn't wide spread yet.

Yes Zika exists in California, a out 170 cases of it have been reported over the last year and a half from travelers... but then consider California is twice as large population wise as Florida but Florida has twice as many cases... Then factor in the only cases in California have been from people coming back with the exposure not from homegrown exposures that you are seeing in Florida. To me it is much safer to go to DL than WDW if Zika is a concern.
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
What's mildly amusing as far as reactions and over reactions, is that over on a cruise message board there are Zika threads. All of these threads are pertaining to where Zika actually is. DCL sent me an email with details about where I am traveling, that the CDC has placed an advisory on these countries, and what to do to prevent mosquito bites. WDW did not.

Why? Because local transmission of the Zika virus in Orlando does not exist. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't wear repellant..but people are cancelling vacations because something "might happen" in the future?
 

Aqueeta

Member
What's mildly amusing as far as reactions and over reactions

There is nothing amusing about the potential of having a disabled child.

Because local transmission of the Zika virus in Orlando does not exist. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't wear repellant but people are cancelling vacations because something "might happen" in the future?

It may not be in Orlando yet but it most certainly will be in the future (if not already). WDW asked for this due to their greed and price gouging over the past years and I hope it gets in their pocket big time!

Gov. Rick Scott confirms locally transmitted Zika virus case in Pinellas County
 

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
Why? Because local transmission of the Zika virus in Orlando does not exist.

I wouldn't put a dime of money on that statement.

The CDC hasn't confirmed any documented cases of insect-transmitted Zika in Orlando, yet, but given the speed of the infection spread in Miami and elsewhere in Florida I would wager that its spread across Florida, and much of the southeastern United States is nigh inevitable.

Remember that there's a considerable lag time in the CDCs announcements.
And 36 minutes ago they just announced a documented infection near Clearwater.
 

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
The Disney Magic will neutralise the pesky carriers with airbourne distribution of pixie dust. Inhalation of the dust will make the mozzy happy and blissful in the most magical place on earth and not want to bite anyone.

Disney insects dont bite, Universal however..........
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
There is nothing amusing about the potential of having a disabled child.



It may not be in Orlando yet but it most certainly will be in the future (if not already). WDW asked for this due to their greed and price gouging over the past years and I hope it gets in their pocket big time!

Gov. Rick Scott confirms locally transmitted Zika virus case in Pinellas County
Wait what? You are finding joy in an impact on Florida tourism and potential financial impact of many? Because you are upset with Disney's prices?

No there's nothing amusing about a disabled child. Everyone who lives in Florida should move..NOW! I understand concern, precautions, and education...if I was still living in SoFla, and pregnant, I would be concerned. I don't understand panic.
 

willtravel

Well-Known Member
Just curious as to where that info is from. How could Orlando be second to Miami? I would think a lot of other cities would be between the 2.
Here's a great article that shows what is actually going on-
https://www.google.com/amp/www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/8/4/12363312/zika-florida-united-states

These 2 are not new, but here is what I found on city rankings and risk factors --View attachment 154931 View attachment 154932
What I don't understand is I am from Ohio and according to the article it says "the ideal temperatures and humidity conditions". Looking at that map I can see many states with these same conditions but is not on list. :confused:
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
What I don't understand is I am from Ohio and according to the article it says "the ideal temperatures and humidity conditions". Looking at that map I can see many states with these same conditions but is not on list. :confused:
I know right. Maybe the Ohio River valley has something to do with it? I'm in Ohio too, and neither me or my dog had allergies...until we moved here.lol. Who knows, it's strange that it is on the list.
The mosquitos have been out in full force the past few weeks! We were camping in Indiana this week and they were horrible there too. I've gone thru several cans of bug spray this summer..not bc of Zika, just annoying bites in general.
 

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Just got back from wdw and noticed more mosquitos than ever on property, was bitten at least 4 times whilst at the hotel (AKL) and a further 2 times in the parks compared to never being bitten in wdw before, seems to me like they are reducing whatever insect repellant they use. Also noticed lots more flies hovering and populating food areas than ever before (i know flies have nothing to do with zika, just corroborating my point about repellant)

Animal Kingdom lodge was the only place I have ever been bit by a mosquito. That was several years ago. They do not spray because of the animals. In the years since, I have had no issues with mosquitos.
 

Sonconato

Well-Known Member
Saw that this thread was up here, so I wanted to contribute with an article in today's Orlando Sentinel:
NEW YORK — With government officials now warning pregnant women to avoid Miami Beach, in addition to Puerto Rico, some sun-seekers are desperately scrambling for a Zika-free vacation.
And that has left other tourist destinations to capitalize — quietly.

Travel experts say families worried about Zika are now looking to Arizona and Southern California to get some sun, along with cooler weather locales, such as New England and Canada.

The Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes or through sex with an infected person. In pregnant women, a Zika infection can cause severe birth defects, including microcephaly, where babies are born with a dangerously small head. In others, it can lead to Guillain-Barre, which can cause temporary paralysis and, in rare instances, death. Given that background, many would-be vacationers don't want to take the risk.

Central Florida has not attributed its somewhat slow summer to Zika reaction. There have been no reported cases of locally transmitted Zika in Metro Orlando, although England's public health department has labeled the state overall as a "moderate risk" for travelers and urged pregnant women to consider postponing trips to the state.

Bermuda has seen several groups move meetings and conventions there from Caribbean islands, according to Glenn Jones, director of public and stakeholder relations at the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

"That's been a welcome and unexpected boost to our business this summer," Jones says.
However, the island nation off the coast of the Carolinas has been careful about how it handles the situation. Educating tourists who ask about the absence of Zika is fine, but don't expect a marketing campaign around it.

Miami is the first spot on the U.S. mainland where the virus has been transmitted by mosquito bites. .
Some of South Florida's $24 billion in tourism business is likely to go elsewhere.

Visitors' bureaus in some other destinations either said they didn't have proof of a Zika connection to their growth or were hesitant to speak about the bump, fearing that they might be perceived as gloating in somebody else's misery. But clues to the shift have surfaced, including in regulatory filings of publicly traded companies.

James Murren, CEO of MGM Resorts International, said on a recent earnings call that Las Vegas benefited as vacationers book away from Florida.

"As sad as that situation is in Florida, I certainly don't want to benefit from it as a result of that, but I can say that we're seeing a pickup in air traffic and in driving traffic even in the last couple of months," Murren said on Aug. 4.

Magazines, including Travel and Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler, have been offering "Zika-Free Destination" guides, offering alternative destinations. They include Bermuda, Charleston, South Carolina, San Diego, Palm Springs, Hawaii and Arizona.
 

jloucks

Well-Known Member
Same resort that let 2 years wander around in the alligator filled lake at dusk.

Disney will be the trusted source of all things Zika. Wake up Disney will say nothing in fact les then nothing about any Zika threat in Orlando or WDW.

I live in a swamp in the south and all I can tell you is good luck about avoiding all misquote bites when going outside. If DDT is brought back then maybe they can kill all the bugs?

And bedbugs.

...and um... birds....:p
 

jloucks

Well-Known Member
Saw that this thread was up here, so I wanted to contribute with an article in today's Orlando Sentinel:

"Some of South Florida's $24 billion in tourism business is likely to go elsewhere."


See, that is the kind of weasel wording that drives me nuts. Some could be $10, or it could be $10b. pfft. At least make an educated guess.
 

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