Zika Impact

[Belle_MTL]

I don't think people will cancel their plans just because of Zika but rather for a combination of events over the past couple of months. I tend to think if Zika was as big of a concern as the media paints it to be then the Olympics would have been cancelled, or postponed or moved to another country. We stay at Fort Wilderness every year and have never seen or been bitten my a mosquito. That's not to say that it's not possible to be bit at WDW, obviously it happens. But Disney seems to do a really good job with pest control, and will likely now step up their efforts.

 

[21stamps]

The FO travel Advice is very understated and when you follow the link to the new National Travel Health Network it refers to Miami Dade only and despite the main page saying therer will be a country risk specific numeric score I cant see one. I cant imagine anyone cancelling a Disney trip based on this. As I said previously we wont be, even with a transit through Miami and a few nights at Margaritaville.

I clicked on the link, it didn't sound like it was blowing it completely out of proportion, similar to crime/danger warnings elsewhere. I don't see why anyone would cancel Disney either, although selfishly-I won't mind if a few thousand people cancel for December.... I wouldn't cancel a trip to SoFla either, and have little fear about our upcoming cruise. I'll be bringing plenty of bug spray, that's all.

 

[Padraig]

I don't think people will cancel their plans just because of Zika but rather for a combination of events over the past couple of months. I tend to think if Zika was as big of a concern as the media paints it to be then the Olympics would have been cancelled, or postponed or moved to another country. We stay at Fort Wilderness every year and have never seen or been bitten my a mosquito. That's not to say that it's not possible to be bit at WDW, obviously it happens. But Disney seems to do a really good job with pest control, and will likely now step up their efforts.

I'd say the amount of Irish people that will cancel Orlando this year over Zika could be counted on one hand. And that hand could belong to a particularly clumsy carpenter. Maybe next year you might see it impact people's decisions, but again Irish visitors represent a minuscule percentage of WDW visitors. I think the warning is significant in that while our D.F.A is pretty useless, they are also fairly level headed and tend to follow the UK lead on most issues. My impression of their policy formation has alway been "what are you guys doing?".

 

[21stamps]

I'd say the amount of Irish people that will cancel Orlando this year over Zika could be counted on one hand. And that hand could belong to a particularly clumsy carpenter. Maybe next year you might see it impact people's decisions, but again Irish visitors represent a minuscule percentage of WDW visitors. I think the warning is significant in that while our D.F.A is pretty useless, they are also fairly level headed and tend to follow the UK lead on most issues. My impression of their policy formation has alway been "what are you guys doing?".

I think you're correct.

I haven't seen one person post about cancelling on the FB page for my DCL Fantasy cruise, and there are plenty of international travelers in the group.

 

[SorcererMC]

I don't think people will cancel their plans just because of Zika but rather for a combination of events over the past couple of months. I tend to think if Zika was as big of a concern as the media paints it to be then the Olympics would have been cancelled, or postponed or moved to another country. We stay at Fort Wilderness every year and have never seen or been bitten my a mosquito. That's not to say that it's not possible to be bit at WDW, obviously it happens. But Disney seems to do a really good job with pest control, and will likely now step up their efforts.

The Rio Olympics were not moved or cancelled due to the WHO recommendation, issued May 28. There was a group of scientists, bioethicists, and public health officials who disagreed, due to the CDC travel recs of avoiding travel to affected countries. Some individual athletes are choosing not to go. Risk for Olympic tourists was estimated on the low end of 1.8 cases/1 mln and the high end of 3.2 cases/100,000 (to give some idea of the risk in Brazil where Zika is rampant). WHO still identifies the risk as low and urges precautions.

I haven't seen a comparable statistic for FL, but I think it's safe to assume that the risk to an avg traveler not in the at-risk population is very, very low (provided adequate precautions are taken) for Orlando. I really don't know why Disney didn't provide a public statement for news articles such as, 'here are the mosquito control steps we take to address Zika, and mosquito repellant is available on property for purchase', given the size of their property and the number of visitors. Acknowledging the concern, saying what steps are taken to address it, and saying how an individual might manage their risk seems like a basic customer service/ no-brainer to me.

 

[Matt_Black]

I don't think people will cancel their plans just because of Zika but rather for a combination of events over the past couple of months. I tend to think if Zika was as big of a concern as the media paints it to be then the Olympics would have been cancelled, or postponed or moved to another country. We stay at Fort Wilderness every year and have never seen or been bitten my a mosquito. That's not to say that it's not possible to be bit at WDW, obviously it happens. But Disney seems to do a really good job with pest control, and will likely now step up their efforts.

The thing about the Olympics is that in South America, it's winter now, so mosquitoes aren't as big of a concern.

 

[21stamps]

The Rio Olympics were not moved or cancelled due to the WHO recommendation, issued May 28. There was a group of scientists, bioethicists, and public health officials who disagreed, due to the CDC travel recs of avoiding travel to affected countries. Some individual athletes are choosing not to go. Risk for Olympic tourists was estimated on the low end of 1.8 cases/1 mln and the high end of 3.2 cases/100,000 (to give some idea of the risk in Brazil where Zika is rampant). WHO still identifies the risk as low and urges precautions.

I haven't seen a comparable statistic for FL, but I think it's safe to assume that the risk to an avg traveler not in the at-risk population is very, very low (provided adequate precautions are taken) for Orlando. I really don't know why Disney didn't provide a public statement for news articles such as, 'here are the mosquito control steps we take to address Zika, and mosquito repellant is available on property for purchase', given the size of their property and the number of visitors. Acknowledging the concern, saying what steps are taken to address it, and saying how an individual might manage their risk seems like a basic customer service/ no-brainer to me.

Rick Scott has already done that. Plus, there isn't an issue with WDW. Central Florida is not South Florida. They aren't even in the same climate zone.
There's risk pretty much anywhere, just wear repellant. People should already know this.

 

[Belle_MTL]

I really don't know why Disney didn't provide a public statement for news articles such as, 'here are the mosquito control steps we take to address Zika, and mosquito repellant is available on property for purchase', given the size of their property and the number of visitors. Acknowledging the concern, saying what steps are taken to address it, and saying how an individual might manage their risk seems like a basic customer service/ no-brainer to me.

I agree, I would have expected them to at least acknowledge the concern, and then remind travellers that they stay on top of pest control and like you said, bug repellant is widely available on property.

 

[SorcererMC]

Rick Scott has already done that. Plus, there isn't an issue with WDW. Central Florida is not South Florida. They aren't even in the same climate zone.
There's risk pretty much anywhere, just wear repellant. People should already know this.

Agreed. I think that Disney could also state something like they cooperate with local public health mosquito control efforts (eg Osceola Co). My criticism of Disney's response is based on my belief that public health issues often have an economic impact for businesses so they ought to have some kind of response or preparedness and be willing to say what they are.

 

[21stamps]

I agree, I would have expected them to at least acknowledge the concern, and then remind travellers that they stay on top of pest control and like you said, bug repellant is widely available on property.

But what concern are they acknowledging? That 4-5 hours south of them, in a completely different climate zone-- (south Florida is tropic, central is not), that 3 people contracted Zika so now WDW is under alert?

I'm sure they're stepping up their game..on the same level that they have been for years. I just don't see the need for a public announcement on something that doesn't exist.

 

[Belle_MTL]

Rick Scott has already done that. Plus, there isn't an issue with WDW. Central Florida is not South Florida. They aren't even in the same climate zone.
There's risk pretty much anywhere, just wear repellant. People should already know this.

Unfortunately people tend to generalize and not look at maps. I saw someone post an article on FB about Zika in Miami and their comment was "So I guess no traveling to Florida any time soon".

 

[21stamps]

Unfortunately people tend to generalize and not look at maps. I saw someone post an article on FB about Zika in Miami and their comment was "So I guess no traveling to Florida any time soon".

Yeah, I guess I'm under the opinion that one should do their own research. Info isn't hidden, maps are plentiful, the governor has issued a statement. WDW isn't responsible for someone's own ignorance.

 

[Belle_MTL]

Yeah, I guess I'm under the opinion that one should do their own research. Info isn't hidden, maps are plentiful, the governor has issued a statement. WDW isn't responsible for someone's own ignorance.

Back in '03 when SARS hit Toronto the entire Canadian tourism industry took a hit. People scan headlines, see 'Zika + Florida' and make a decision based on that without reading the details.

 

[21stamps]

Agreed. I think that Disney could also state something like they cooperate with local public health mosquito control efforts (eg Osceola Co). My criticism of Disney's response is based on my belief that public health issues often have an economic impact for businesses so they ought to have some kind of response or preparedness and be willing to say what they are.

Just to be clear for anyone reading this-

There is not a public health warning for central Florida, Including the Orlando area and WDW.
There are 4 counties with such warning. Not one of them near Orlando.

 

[SorcererMC]

But what concern are they acknowledging? That 4-5 hours south of them, in a completely different climate zone-- (south Florida is tropic, central is not), that 3 people contracted Zika so now WDW is under alert?

I'm sure they're stepping up their game..on the same level that they have been for years. I just don't see the need for a public announcement on something that doesn't exist.

Not necessarily a public announcement, but a prepared public statement that could have been included in the WaPo article, for example.
This was LEGOLAND's response:

Repellent is available at LEGOLAND Florida, which follows county guidelines for mosquito spraying and removing standing water where insects can breed. “We also offer several air conditioned attractions, including the newly reimagined imagination zone if they’d prefer to spend time indoors,” resort spokeswoman Brittany Williams said in an email.​

 

[SorcererMC]

Just to be clear for anyone reading this-

There is not a public health warning for central Florida, Including the Orlando area and WDW.
There are 4 counties with such warning. Not one of them near Orlando.

To provide some perspective, the current affected area where the 4 cases were found is 1 square mile in the Wynwood area of Miami (north of downtown). A map can be found here at the FL Dept of Health official statement re: the 4 cases.
http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2016/07/072916-local-zika.html

 

[SorcererMC]

Just to be clear for anyone reading this-

There is not a public health warning for central Florida, Including the Orlando area and WDW.
There are 4 counties with such warning. Not one of them near Orlando.

This conflates travel warnings with public health emergencies (but your point still stands). A travel warning means that the area is to be avoided for at-risk individuals. The CDC stated that as of yet they do not anticipate issuing a travel warning for South FL.
A 'public health emergency declaration' (made by the Governor and Surgeon General which is in 29 FL counties) means that state resources are available and being used to manage the disease.
______________________
I'm making this distinction b/c it matters when reading news articles or government advisories...especially when blanket warnings are being given about Florida (eg the article you/ 21stamps posted had FL and Puerto Rico together which are very different in their Zika profiles ).

 

[21stamps]

Back in '03 when SARS hit Toronto the entire Canadian tourism industry took a hit. People scan headlines, see 'Zika + Florida' and make a decision based on that without reading the details.

I agree that there are plenty of people who generalize so much. I hear people say things like-
"What's the weather like in Florida?" (Um,where?)
"Oh you're from SoFla, I have a house in Destin.. It's beautiful there right?" (Destin is something like 600-700 miles or so from SoFla)
"I'm going to Miami, thinking about going to have lunch in Key West for a couple of hours." (3/4 hour drive to KW, so better make a day of it..KW is closer to Cuba than Miami distance wise).

In fairness, there are plenty of states/places that I don't know much about. I just tend not to make generalizations on things that I don't know about.lol.

 

[21stamps]

This conflates travel warnings with public health emergencies (but your point still stands). A travel warning means that the area is to be avoided for at-risk individuals. The CDC stated that as of yet they do not anticipate issuing a travel warning for South FL.
A 'public health emergency declaration' (made by the Governor and Surgeon General which is in 29 FL counties) means that state resources are available and being used to manage the disease.
______________________
I'm making this distinction b/c it matters when reading news articles or government advisories...especially when blanket warnings are being given about Florida (eg the article you/ 21stamps posted had FL and Puerto Rico together which are very different in their Zika profiles ).

Yes travel warnings and public health warnings are different. Neither one has been listed for Orlando. The "article" I posted was direct from a UK government site. A government alert/warning is the only one that should be taken seriously...and even with those you read them thoroughly, and decide if what you're doing is actually dangerous. i.e. Travelling to central or south america, africa, middle east etc. Which many people still do, they just take precautions.

To provide some perspective, the current affected area where the 4 cases were found is 1 square mile in the Wynwood area of Miami (north of downtown). A map can be found here at the FL Dept of Health official statement re: the 4 cases.
http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2016/07/072916-local-zika.html

To give a little SoFla input- South Florida is always grouped into one because people seriously will live in Palm Beach but drive to SoBe for lunch, and vice versa. It's a very easy area to navigate, everything is a direct shot on I95. The same people who live in Palm Beach County, Broward County, or Miami Dade County can, and will, be found at any city in said counties at any time of day. This is the main reason that even though the cases are in Wynwood, the entire area will have a warning.

Regardless of if you are a 20something going to night clubs, a 30 something looking for a Sunday mimosa brunch, or any age group shopping or wanting to eat at a specific restaurant...South Floridians don't tend to stay within the city where they actually live. The majority are always out and about somewhere, almost daily, at the least-weekly. Our circle of friends,that we see on a regular basis, will include people who live in Coral Gables all the way up to North Palm Beach. I don't know if that helps give any insight into the area, but it's again, why it usually all gets lumped together.lol

 

[The Mom]

You could always purchase something like this if you're overly concerned.

http://www.skeeta.biz/skeeta-mosquito-netting-no-see-um-netting-bug-suits.html