“Further, the virus only stays in your system for about a week so as long as you put off pregnancy during that time, you’re good.”
source please??
I’m not being hysterical. BUT the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are planning on converging on the epicenter of an epidemic , and then will be returning home to the US in the middle of mosquito season here, gives me great pause.
we shall see who is over or under reacting in 6 months, wont we.
As the mother of a very headstrong 20 year old daughter (currently studying in France), I am shaking my head at the idea that the OP could forbid her D to do anything. Influence? Maybe. Pray? Heck, yeah. But forbid her to go? Not if the young woman is dead set on going and is paying for it herself.
One of the characteristics of youth is that the young always underestimate risk. Yes, if this were my child, I would be concerned about the lack of housing, the potential for being kidnapped and sold into slavery, the risk of other crimes against her person, the potential for contracting Zika or carrying it back home, but I would also know that, like it or not, the decision wasn’t mine to make.
From the New York Times:
Note: the article says a month because the virus may take a month to clear the testes - the disease itself is usually cleared from other parts of the body in 7-10 days, like romani says. Also from that article:
Once the virus is cleared from your bloodstream, there is no danger to you, your fetus, or to other people.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/health/what-is-zika-virus.html?_r=0
Hmmm - to be clear, I should have said “once the virus is cleared from your bloodstream, there is no danger to you, your FUTURE fetus, or to other people…”
Agree with @Massmomm about the fact that OP can’t rrally control this (which OP seems well aware of). And she certainly can’t “put her on birth control” either.
To be clear, if my daughter were talking about going to Rio, I would probably suggest she be on birth control. But we are talking about an adult here. Her parents can’t put her on the pill.
As the parent of a D heading to South America (not Brazil) in a couple weeks, I have been trying to follow this issue closely. My best advice is birth control (including condom use) and lots of bug spray. Which I would be recommending anyway. Admittedly, I might be more nervous about Brazil as opposed to the mountainous regions of Argentina and Chile.
The Diane Rehm show covered Zika this morning and it has a lot of pertinent information. https://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-02-08/understanding-the-risks-of-the-zika-virus
@LeftofPisa Last I checked, Chile and Argentina aren’t in the Zika zone, especially the mountainous parts. It’s wonderful there! I’m sure your daughter will have an incredible time!
Yea, @doschicos, I saw Argentina has had one case so far. I agree that it is not a big worry there. Phew. Mom has plenty of other things to worry about!
Does the article at the link below sway anyone’s opinion? As of now, I believe by DD is still planning on going… http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/18/482593048/rios-governor-declares-state-of-calamity-ahead-of-olympic-games
I would steer clear of these Olympics. I would not go as an athlete, I would not go as a spectator, and I certainly would not go as a volunteer who would likely get worse accomodations, food, and security than athletes or paying spectators on some kind of a tour. Even without that article. That story makes everything look worse.
My adventurous expat associates who lived/worked all over the world, including in “scary” places, all warn me that Rio is NOT a safe city. And hotel rates are going to be sky-high during the event. The combination safety issue & unpaid housing are a total deal killer for me.
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With all that’s going on there right now, I’m not sure why someone would want to do this. Maybe if she was absolutely obsessed with the Olympics and would do anything to get there. Otherwise, it’s going to be a costly, dangerous way to provide free labor. She’d be far better off picking some places to travel to, that won’t risk her safety. That would be the experience of a lifetime also, and probably way more fun.
To add, 18 cities in Brazil are ranked in the top 50, as far as most dangerous cities in the world. Now that’s a country to avoid in the best of times, but now, even more so.
I know you may feel like you have little influence, however, do you think this would work? Show her the article about the danger, talk about the crowds, cost, poverty and being unable to travel around. Then suggest that instead, she travel elsewhere, and maybe you’ll kick something in to help with the expense.
Even more poop hitting the fan:
Rio is clearly not ready to hold the Olympics in less than 2 months. I would be hesitant to go into a place that is already stretched thin to provide resources to their current residents . I just don’t think it’s a secure situation, but it’s purely a personal decision for your daughter to make.
I won’t discount the truth to the poverty, crime, and financial issues in Brazil right now but there are also very political angles for the news stories coming out now and the timing of it.
At this point I would be suggesting a trip to Spain/ Portugal . Seriously. I would help fund it if I could change her mind. Lots of places to go in the world that are much safer and just as educational.
In some of the comments I have read one in particular stands out. It was a local who stated everyone is just trying to suck up as much development money as possible, doing a lousy job and moving on to the next project. He cited the bike path that broke a few months ago as an example.
https://news.vice.com/article/rios-olympic-bike-path-was-destined-to-collapse
I think I’d be emailing my kid with every possible negative story I could. It just doesn’t seem worth the risk.
I know what would work with my kids - reimburse her for the airfare and a financial incentive not to go.
I do think it is important to note that the US State Department has not issued any travel alerts or warnings for Brazil (at least not yet). There are alerts and warnings for many other popular destinations in the world, so that is worth considering.
What do people think is the biggest risk: Street crime? Zika? Poor water quality? Impending civil unrest? Specific discussion about the particular risks, the magnitude of the risks in tourist areas, and how to avoid or mitigate the risks would probably be most helpful to the OP and her daughter.
Obviously, any tourist should absolutely stay out of the favelas, should be wary of non-licensed, non-official transportation, should be very careful of belongings, should not leave drinks unattended, etc. These were the cautions that we got when traveling to Rio 25 years ago. Does anyone have a sense of how much worse things are now?
I’m not trying to minimize the risks but I have genuine questions about how unsafe it really is in the tourist areas. Specific info would be useful!
On the news recently…Rio is THE most visited city in South America. There will be many more people visiting Rio between now and the olympics than during the olympics.