Zika Impact

SorcererMC

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
The part that I highlighted in bold is something that I strongly agree with. To me being "informed" means looking at the whole picture, and the risk that goes along with. Most people know that car accidents happen in every state. Not everyone may be aware that Zika is in almost every state. So to only talk about Orlando can be very misleading. Bottom line- the CDC has issued One Warning Against Travel- and that warning is limited to a very small area, not even relatively close to Orlando.
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I agree with you! I think that we are on the same page, and that we are both offering reassurance but going about it in different ways. I have no quarrel with that. I can only be responsible for what I say/ write, and not how someone else might interpret or understand that information.
 
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
SorcererMC said:
I agree with you! I think that we are on the same page, and that we are both offering reassurance but going about it in different ways. I have no quarrel with that. I can only be responsible for what I say/ write, and not how someone else might interpret or understand that information.
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I (obviously) get passionate about this kind of stuff. One, because it drives me nuts when all of Florida gets lumped together. And Two, because I have travelled quite a bit (relatively), hence my screen name..and I've dealt with people freaking out, over reacting, "warning" me about places that are deemed "unsafe". Several countries are on the USA travel warning list, but if you look closer, and find out why, you realize that most of said countries are not inherently dangerous..still, of course you remain on alert while visiting. Knowledge is mandatory when traveling. Domestically or Internationally, understanding the situation you are dealing with is key, but--putting a blanket assumption over an entire area means that you can seriously miss out on something great.
 
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SorcererMC

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
I (obviously) get passionate about this kind of stuff. One, because it drives me nuts when all of Florida gets lumped together. And Two, because I have travelled quite a bit (relatively), hence my screen name..and I've dealt with people freaking out, over reacting, "warning" me about places that are deemed "unsafe". Several countries are on the USA travel warning list, but if you look closer, and find out why, you realize that most of said countries are not inherently dangerous..still, of course you remain on alert while visiting. Knowledge is mandatory when traveling. Domestically or Internationally, understanding the situation you are dealing with is key, but--putting a blanket assumption over an entire area means that you can seriously miss out on something great.
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I understand. I agree about travel warnings not being specific enough, and the CDC is being more specific re: Florida now (at Gov Scott's request, I think). I think most seasoned travelers would agree w/ you, and it always helps to have a local guide/ or someone you know. I don't get to travel as much as I would like right now. I do a lot of intl threat assessment/ analysis so I am all over something like Zika (trying to calculate its trajectory, govt/ business/ public responses, and economic impact, etc. Same for things like natural disasters, terrorism, etc.). So, I'm acutely aware without really being afraid, and I understand that people are now having to confront those concerns/ fears b/c it's new to them or simply because it has never happened to them before. Fortunately w/ Zika, precautions can be taken and avoidance isn't entirely necessary.
 
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drcasey

drcasey

Well-Known Member
A pregnant woman today in the office had a trip planned to Disney World in December and her doctor told her to cancel the trip. Keep in mind that if a mosquito bites an infected person, that mosquito can then transmit the disease to the next person it bites
 
LAKid53

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
UK Health Services just published an advisory for UK residents currently visiting the U.S. Not going to provide the title of the advisory, but I found it humorous.....

Best thing? Use precautions - bug repellant with DEET, avoid, if possible, the hours the Zika carrying species is active, etc.

There are only 14 cases in Florida that health officials have tied to bites from mosquitos in the state. Will there be more? Probably. The mosquito is, next to that prehistoric reptile, the most ubiquitous animal in the state.
 
A

Aqueeta

Member
This is going to have a huge impact on tourism in Florida, in particular the theme parks, if a remedy is not found soon. This epidemic will eliminate a majority of those who are of child-bearing age (aka: families with young children) from vacationing in or near these infected areas.
 
SorcererMC

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
Aqueeta said:
This is going to have a huge impact on tourism in Florida, in particular the theme parks, if a remedy is not found soon. This epidemic will eliminate a majority of those who are of child-bearing age (aka: families with young children) from vacationing in or near these infected areas.
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Real question/curiosity - Would you mind elaborating on what you think a 'huge impact' might be? I'm not seeing good estimates on this anywhere w/ respect to the theme parks.

Edit: Off the top of my head, Magic Kingdom had attendance of ~20 mln in 2015, and the other parks have attendance around ~11-13 mln each. Suppose that 50% of those are families, with maybe 25% young families . Do you or anyone think that annual attendance would drop off by, say 2 mln, ~10%? Or what might be reasonable? I'm not sure how to make sense of it since there are also APers and DVC owners.
 
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King Capybara 77

King Capybara 77

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
King Capybara 77

King Capybara 77

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
Aqueeta said:
So are you saying that pregnant women and those of child-bearing age should take a risk of being infected with Zika, however minimal, just for the sake of a vacation? As a parent of a child with a permanent disability, only an imbecile would take such a chance on their child's health.
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If you would kindly point out where exactly i said that please . Yes people should have all the facts at their disposale and make an informed decision that is correct for them and their family. My point was using phrases like "cloud of fear" is scaremongering. :banghead:
 
networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Its the difference 380km makes. That's the same distance from London, UK to Dublin, Ireland. Forbes had an informative article a few days ago on this same subject. You know the flight range of the most common carrier mosquito Aedes aegypti ? 50-100 meters or up to 400 meters after a blood meal for egg laying. That's why you see the outbreak limited to a single neighborhood.

For those fear mongers among the readership you stand to be exposed more readily by contact from people who travel and return to your local area than you do actually traveling to the Orlando area.
 
networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Aqueeta said:
But not the South Americans who vacationers are exposed to while at WDW? I would think they would be likely carriers.
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Unless you plan to bite them, them bite you, or have sexual relations with them; they present no threat of infecting you. You stand more of a chance being infected by a myriad of other communicable diseases.
 
SorcererMC

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
Mr Ferret 88 said:
"cloud of fear" that isn't panic inducing in the slightest :rolleyes:
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I said it was 'decent', not perfect. It doesn't exploit the Disney name at least. I actually don't object to 'cloud of fear' in this instance, b/c it's not just about tourists, it's the businesses that will be impacted. Pew Research says that ~75% of Americans consider Zika a major or minor threat. I would have liked more factual evidence in the article rather than anecdotes. I'm also annoyed that this is a 'brewing crisis' and Disney (and UO for that matter, but they aren't mentioned in the article) should be getting out in front of it and they are not as far as I can tell.
 
ratherbeinwdw

ratherbeinwdw

Well-Known Member
The head of the CDC said just this morning that even with all the mosquito control efforts in the affected neighborhood, they haven't been able to bring the number of mosquitoes down. The same thing happened in Brazil. Nothing they did brought the number down.
 
SorcererMC

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
networkpro said:
Unless you plan to bite them, them bite you, or have sexual relations with them; they present no threat of infecting you. You stand more of a chance being infected by a myriad of other communicable diseases.
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That is not entirely correct. It is the mosquito that would bite them and can in turn spread it to you (that's how vectors work). An adult female Aedes aegypti mosquito has a life span of 2-4 weeks and can infect dozens. Aedes aegypti is well-adapted to spreading tropical diseases like Zika, which is difficult to detect (aka 'silent' transmission due to the high rate of asymptomatic cases 80%).

In terms of communicable diseases, yes, something like flu is much more of a threat to the general populace, especially the elderly or those with immune system issues (eg autoimmune disorders). It's a good example of why an individual should be aware of being in the at-risk population or not. Pregnant women are most at risk for Zika as they are more likely to get bit by a mosquito and the consequences may be devastating; yet they are not the only ones at risk.
 
SorcererMC

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
ratherbeinwdw said:
The head of the CDC said just this morning that even with all the mosquito control efforts in the affected neighborhood, they haven't been able to bring the number of mosquitoes down. The same thing happened in Brazil. Nothing they did brought the number down.
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I would hope that they stressed the importance of bug spray and keeping stagnant water off of one's property? FL Dept of Health has a campaign for this. https://twitter.com/HealthyFla
 

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