Zika: Whether or not to go to the Olympics
With increased warnings against travelling to countries which have increased levels of Zika outbreaks, you are probably wondering if you should cancel your trip to Brazil. You are undoubtedly weighing all of your options right now, whether to go and have the experience of a lifetime, viewing the Olympics and all of its glory, being a part of a tradition that is much older than you are. Or, on the other hand, if you should stay at home, where it is safe, away from those evil little mosquitoes! There is no vaccination that you can take that will prevent you from catching Zika, so if you were thinking of preventative care, that is simply not an option. Your only option if you accept the challenge/risk of attending the games is to be prepared. Read up on everything you can about the disease and plan a course of action that will most likely benefit your chances of not contracting the illness. The risks associated with the disease are known, though, in many instances, death is not the end result, there are still many unwanted and long-lasting outcomes that can occur. But here is some information that may ease your mind, it may even aid in helping you make your decision. Barring you are not pregnant or believe that you are pregnant or even plan on getting pregnant in the near future, attending may not be the worst thing to do. It is now Brazil’s winter season, what does this mean? Quite simply it means way fewer mosquitoes, the conditions for them to thrive are not ideal. This translates into a much lower risk of you getting bitten, and by extension getting the dreaded disease. Of course, mosquitoes will remain present, even if they are not in the same quantities as they were in, so being cautious is still very important. Whatever precautions that you had planned to take when travelling should still be implemented. Here are just a few in case you needed help. Travel insurance, this is always important when travelling anywhere at all. You should get your vaccines up to date, this is also something that should be done before travelling anywhere. Monitoring travel advisements is also very important if the information that you are getting is advising against travel, even if it is the last minute, you should adhere to it. This one goes without saying, lots and lots of insecticide, repellent and anything else that can be used to prevent you from getting bitten. Even when you are taking in the actual games, you should travel with your repellent so that you can always freshen up on your safety. Being able to watch the games in all of their splendour is an honour, but being there can be a threat to your health. If you believe that with adequate precautions it is a good decision to be there, go on ahead, after all, I can’t think of another experience that is more worth it than the great Olympics!