Disney to Give Out Free Insect Repellent to Fight Zika Virus

[DABIGCHEEZ]

I will say that we were given a small can of repellent at check-in at our resort down on Captiva(prior to our recent WDW stop). I don't know how wide spread a practice it is down in that area though. Down there though, the sand flies(no-see-ums) are worse then the mosquitoes. I wonder if more cases pop up closer to WDW, if they will do the same.

 

[Daveeeeed]

"The CDC encourages the use of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents and protective clothing."
Two Words: Water Parks.

 

[JenniferS]

My brother and his family checked into CSR today:

 

[21stamps]

"The CDC encourages the use of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents and protective clothing."
Two Words: Water Parks.

The protective clothing is ridiculous. No one in Florida, especially Miami and South Florida, is going to walk around in long sleeves and pants this time of year. My son and I will not be wearing long sleeves and pants on our cruise, even to the places that have known Zika transmission. We will wear bug spray, and bathing suits.

 

[Bolt]

My brother and his family checked into CSR today:

View attachment 157865

That's nice it's in the room, too

 

[DisneyCane]

Glad they are doing this. It's similar to the hand sanitizers they placed around the parks during the H1N1 virus scare.

I wish those would return, at least after the entrance plaza where you have to put your finger on the scanner after hundreds of people have done so. Lord only knows where some of those fingers have been and what they transfer to the scanners. Since I'm a germaphobe I bring my own but they could probably prevent the spread of a lot of germs by bringing those back.

 

[Kylo Ken]

The protective clothing is ridiculous. No one in Florida, especially Miami and South Florida, is going to walk around in long sleeves and pants this time of year. My son and I will not be wearing long sleeves and pants on our cruise, even to the places that have known Zika transmission. We will wear bug spray, and bathing suits.

Totally agree with you. Obviously, protection etc is very subjective and at each persons' discretion. You know as well as I do though that no one that lives down here is wearing long sleeves for protection especially in this heat.

I don't fault anyone that wants to or goes to great lengths to protect themselves and their families from potential harm. Everyone needs to do what they feel is best at the end of the day.

 

[SorcererMC]

Or maybe really caring about the $$$ lost if a reported Zika case is announced from WDW property.

When I read this, I realized that even my cynicism has its limits. It is simply the most proactive measure that can be taken to safeguard the general public, and I speculated on Florida hotels doing this about a month ago. Universal and SeaWorld are adopting this sort of policy as well, which leads me to believe that it is part of a coordinated public health response recommended by Florida state officials (public health officials as well as tourism officials re: crisis mgmt). (Any major tourist destination maximizes the economic benefit of tourism by strong public-private partnerships, which means that they can also minimize negative economic impacts in a potential crisis).

 

[BrerJon]

Doesn't Zika just make you sick for a few days? Why the big fuss?

 

[wdwmagic]

Doesn't Zika just make you sick for a few days? Why the big fuss?

Devastating impacts on developing babies during pregnancy.

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/healtheffects/index.html

 

[21stamps]

Doesn't Zika just make you sick for a few days? Why the big fuss?

Unless you're pregnant. It can harm the fetus. It can also be sexually transmitted so a husband could infect his wife while she is pregnant.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Kudos to Disney for being proactive. I have never once needed bug spray at WDW!

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

When I read this, I realized that even my cynicism has its limits. It is simply the most proactive measure that can be taken to safeguard the general public, and I speculated on Florida hotels doing this about a month ago. Universal and SeaWorld are adopting this sort of policy as well, which leads me to believe that it is part of a coordinated public health response recommended by Florida state officials (public health officials as well as tourism officials re: crisis mgmt). (Any major tourist destination maximizes the economic benefit of tourism by strong public-private partnerships, which means that they can also minimize negative economic impacts in a potential crisis).

Yes... it is most likely at the urging of the State officials. We just checked out yesterday and there was no visible mention of this that we saw. I wonder how long they will keep it up.

And to your first sentence... I guess we know how they will offset the cost of free insect repellent for all. You guessed it...Ticket price increases!

 

[trampdog]

I wish those would return, at least after the entrance plaza where you have to put your finger on the scanner after hundreds of people have done so. Lord only knows where some of those fingers have been and what they transfer to the scanners. Since I'm a germaphobe I bring my own but they could probably prevent the spread of a lot of germs by bringing those back.

Really? You are worried about a fingerprint reader when you have the 7DMT Ebola Queue? I cringe watching all those rugrats palming everything in sight.

 

[DisneyDaver]

I wish those would return, at least after the entrance plaza where you have to put your finger on the scanner after hundreds of people have done so. Lord only knows where some of those fingers have been and what they transfer to the scanners. Since I'm a germaphobe I bring my own but they could probably prevent the spread of a lot of germs by bringing those back.

I bring my own too ... and bathe my hands in a bunch of it after touching those nasty finger scanners!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/body/zika-might-cause-brain-damage-in-adults-too/

 

[SorcererMC]

Doesn't Zika just make you sick for a few days? Why the big fuss?

What is concerning w/ Zika aside from its potential effects is that 80% of those who are infected will not experience any symptoms at all. Re: mosquito vector transmission - After a bite by an infected mosquito, it can take 3-12 days for symptoms to develop (if they do), and the virus can be found in the bloodstream for ~7 days in non-pregnant individuals. So the disease can spread without being detected, hence the need for bug spray.

 

[SorcererMC]

Yes... it is most likely at the urging of the State officials. We just checked out yesterday and there was no visible mention of this that we saw. I wonder how long they will keep it up.

And to your first sentence... I guess we know how they will offset the cost of free insect repellent for all. You guessed it...Ticket price increases!

The only reason I am not being more effusive in my praise for this policy implementation is because it's kind of a no-brainer to me.
To be fair though, I was critical of the initial PR response in the other thread and now I couldn't be happier to see them taking this step re: guest awareness and prevention.

I wouldn't be surprised if the cost would be partially compensated for in Zika funding packages.

 

[Monorail_Red_77]

Good move on their part...but...does Central FL no longer have the bug trucks?

For those who don't remember them, they used to be a rather common sight, at least in the 90s (though, frankly, now that I think about it, I haven't seen them for years...) I seem to recall Disney used them a lot at one point...?

Yes they are still around. Those truck are controlled by each County in Florida. One goes in my neighborhood over in Brevard County from time to time. Back a month ago it went through twice a day. I believe they even have a helicopter sprayer as well over here. These days they don't spray out as much product though. I remember as a kid in the 1980's in Lake Co. FL they used to spray it so thick you could see across the street. Then of course as a kid you just had to run through it. #stupidstuffyoudidasakid #IHateHashtags LOL

 

[mgf]

It could have a huge economic impact, but it doesn't have to. This is where responsible media coverage (providing the facts) and public awareness (knowing the facts) come into play.

Disney is doing their part to 1. Encourage guest awareness (without fear) and prevent mosquito vector silent transmission (which is why everyone should be using bug spray). and 2. Minimize any economic impact.

ETA: I'm just trying to clarify or reiterate what I think the intent of your post was? and not necessarily contradict what I think you were saying. The 'bug spray won't stop it' statement is misleading to me.

Bug spray is preventative not curative. A population of people wearing it might not get bitten but the presence of repellent does not stop the spread of virus carrying insects. It diverts them somewhere else. That said, good on Disney for being proactive.

The facts are pretty clear, and I do not think the media has overblown anything to date. This is a horrible virus that can devastate fetal development, so all pregnant women, women planning to get pregnant, and men with a pregnant spouse or planning to get a spouse pregnant absolutely must take notice. This is arguably Disney's core market.

Zika hits Orlando and the ramifications are significant. It does not matter if the transmission happened at MK or EPCOT. It matters that it happens in Orlando.