Travel Warning for St. Martin

[Snoozeman]

A travel warning has been issued for St. Martin due to outbreaks of Chikungunya Fever. It's transmitted to humans by virus-carrying mosquitoes.

CDC issues warning for St. Martens over chikungunya fears - CBS News

I've been watching CDC warnings since I contracted Schistosomiasis last year on a Caribbean cruise.

[Trip]

I have an author friend who lives on Tortola, which is also effected. She mentioned this on Facebook yesterday...she's ready to move.


How are you doing with your situation..I just googled it and oh my!

[Snoozeman]

Doing pretty well now, but it was bad for a while. I had spots and itched all over, severe fatigue, lost muscle use in legs so couldn't walk very well. Once they diagnosed it and ordered the meds, the worst was over and started getting better each day.

[Trip]

Good to hear...2nd to malaria is a scary thing

[Snoozeman]

And I'm a very healthy guy, it had been 27 years since I had gone to a Doctor before I got the Schistosomiasis, so it was very different for me.

Doesn't keep me from cruising though!!!

[Travelbuggs]

We were in St Martin just before the first reports came out. Of course just for the day! We will be back there on the Getaway in February. I was really concerned at first, but I read an article from a St Martin newspaper which really took a common sense attitude.

Wear mosquito repellant. You are not likely to run into mosquitos in the shopping plaza or on the beach during the day due to the breeze and the fact that they are mostly out at dusk and dawn. Avoid heavily wooded and marshy areas. Both sides of the island have instituted spraying programs. Of the thousands who live there and the thousands who visit weekly, I think there are only a handful of cases, most of them probably native to the island. If you are one of the unlucky few, the illness is usually pretty mild, short lived fever and joint discomfort, but I guess for an unlucky few, the joint problems can become similar to Lymes disease.

We did not see a single mosquito while there and to tell you the truth, I am much more concerned about getting mosquito borne West Nile virus right here at home in my own backyard where we sometimes are chased by clouds of the little buggers even at 2:00 PM. The shisto does not sound pleasant. Hope you are feeling better.