TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Chikungunya virus

Hi all, considering a return 10 day bareboat to BVI this summer however media coverage of this virus has somewhat soured the enthusiasm of my group including myself. Can anyone who has been there recently perhaps comment on the reality of getting sick with this thing for cruisers? In other words, are any of us getting infected? Much appreciated.

I had it..not pleasant but it seems to have died down..if you take precautions , especially late in the afternoon, you'll be fine and much lesser chance of getting it on a boat..

If you're on a boat, you have less of a chance of getting bit.

Know several people who had it and it was creating quite a stir there at the time. Haven't heard much at all mentioned about it the last 2 months or so. I'd venture a guess you have a higher chance of contracting Ebola on the flight down <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

I'm heading down in about a week and have no concerns at all.

Hi. I corrected the spelling of the virus, in case anyone is doing a search for more information.

Chikungunya is nasty stuff. It has died down some now. Many, many locals have contracted it. Boaters are not immune, but if you keep lots of bug spray on when you go ashore, you lessen your chances dramatically.

My husband and I are just in the process of being checked out after being seated very close to someone with TB on a long haul flight! Having spent several hours at a hospital this morning surrounded with people with all sorts of coughs and splutters, one can only wonder what we get next. (At least it wasnt Ebola).

I was in the BVI for 9 days over the holidays with 16 (yes, sixteen) friends. We spent a decent amount of time on shore, and nobody came down with chickengunkya <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

First problems where in St. Martin. Now it is a problem anywhere near the islands where mosquitoes can be found. Note the increasing number of cases in the western hemisphere.

Thanks for all the responses. Need to make a decision in the next few weeks but I'm hoping the epidemic starts burning itself out by summer.

I was just on Reef Song for 14 days (1/10 - 1/24). We talked to a local at Corsair's on JVD who came down with it a few months ago. He said it's nasty business. He said it's dying down there on JVD. Not sure about anywhere else. My crew made it back home safe, sound, and virus free.

Chikengunya has been observed as far north as New Orleans. It is found all through the Caribbean. It is spread by mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are more plentiful during the rainy season. We were in BVI last summer and in November. When on shore we used a lot of DEET. On the boat we rarely saw a mosquito. We did not get sick. I would not avoid travel because of this illness. Just use common sense and lots of DEET.

Stormjib, would you be so kind as to post a link to the source of that data? Thanks.

Dan <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

There were cases reported on the news in Massachusetts, New York and Maine

Were they contracted there, or cases of people who caught it while traveling in the Caribbean and brought it home with them?

I got bit a lot last October, even with bug spray BUT no chimichanga here, I guess that particular mosquito did not find me as tasty as the rest of the bugs OR the DEET works really well on them.

The news didn't go into detail, they just said that cases were reported.
If I wasn't using a tiny iPhone I would check the CDC website.

I wouldn't make a determination on whether or not you go forward with the trip because you MIGHT get Chikungunya. We go 2-3 times a year and have never contracted it nor has anyone in our group. I might be a little more concerned if we were staying on shore, but even then its a small risk.

So my advice - book the trip, go and use bug spray - preferably with deet.

I am pretty sure the MA case, they reported that they were recently in the Caribbean.

one reason the chikingunya virus is so nasty is that the mosquito that carries it is not easy to kill. It doesn't breed out of doors but inside buildings, in drains and wet areas etc. So Gov't spraying does no good. On the other hand if you're on a boat you're probably OK. Hotels and restaurants etc are the more likely venue for infection. And they bite by day, not at night.

According to the CDC the only cases contacted locally were in Florida.

The bar graph is from the Wikipedia page

Actually it breeds in and outdoors and still feeds in the early evening and is up just before sunrise and into the day.

30 percent of those infected show no symptoms. So many are infected and have no idea. You are only contagious to Mosquitos in the first week or so after you are infected. A mosquito bites an infected person in the first week or so of the disease. Anyone ever bitten by that mosquito in the future would likely be infected. Ashore in the hours 4-6 or anywhere near sunset are at the greatest risk of bite. The more crowded the area with long term residents or extended stay travelers the greater risk. There simply is not enough time for someone staying a week to get infected and infect mosquito on the same trip. Places like Cane Garden Bay would have the greatest chance at Russian Roulette here. The resorts with larger numbers of employees another.

Apparently the long term arthritic issues are the most troubling. The base director has been dealing with this feature of the bug for a year +.

I had recently heard that they have a genetically altered version of the type of mozzie that is common to dengue and chik-A. there is recent press about whether this is a good idea to introduce these mozzies in FLA.

sail: Actually, you are wrong. Here is the CDC website...

The conspiracy theorists on St Thomas believe that a sailor from St Martin brought it to Jost last Old Year's and that is why it was noted there first in the VIs early last year. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Actually this is what I said:
"The news didn't go into detail, they just said that cases were reported.
If I wasn't using a tiny iPhone I WOULD check the CDC website. "
So where am I wrong?

With many(as much as 30%) having no symptoms they are infected the authorities may never figure out who brought the disease in. The contagious phase is also very short in humans and does not start as soon as a human is bitten or infected. Could have been a sailor making a hop from St. Martin to JVD. Could have been a air crew member who introduced the disease to mosquitos near any of the airports. A visitor for a two week sail or camping trip to JVD could easily get bitten at the airport and carry the disease to any number of island mosquito and then human populations.

The mosquitoes generally acquire the virus while feeding on the blood of an infected person. After virus incubation for eight to ten days, an infected mosquito is capable, during probing and blood feeding, of transmitting the virus for the rest of its life. There is no way to tell if a mosquito is carrying the chikungunya virus. Infected female mosquitoes may also transmit the virus to their offspring by transovarial (via the eggs) transmission, but the role of this in sustaining transmission of the virus to humans has not yet been defined.

"Infected humans are the main carriers and multipliers of the virus, and serving as a source of the virus for uninfected mosquitoes. The virus circulates in the blood of infected humans for several days, at approximately the same time that they have chikungunya fever (see also clinical symptoms)."

Wow.. all this talk over something that I think is a pretty low risk...

Here's a simple way to look at it. Here in NE, we're at risk of EEE from mosquitoes or lyme disease from ticks. So why worry about something that you are probably less likely to get than either of the above on a short visit.

Just gotta do what you'd do at home and take precautions to minimize your risk.

as Aaron Rogers says everyone R-E-L-A-X

I certainly wouldn't cancel a trip because of the threat of chick-v, especially considering it is all over the Caribbean now, and also in some US states, but considering the numbers are around a million confirmed cases by now, it is nothing to sneeze at, so people should pay attention and try to protect themselves, as much as possible.

sail: They are daytime mosquitos and "domestic"- they live in and around houses. On St Thomas, the majority of cases were in housing units which were built close together.

Nutmeg, you'll see them on all the beaches far away from homes and buildings during the day and early evening (after dark).
You can differentiate them from other species by their stripes.

Waly,
Here's my two cents. We were there in early November, didn't get bit by a single mosquito.

Try to put everything that has been said here into perspective. If you are on a boat for ten days, and especially if you are usually on the boat at sunset, you have a low probability of getting bitten by a skeeter. If you don't get bit by a skeeter, you've got 0% chance of contracting. Bring your DEET bug spray, keep an eye on the kids and watch your sunsets from the boat and there's little chance you'll be affected.

Like I said, we had ten days on the boat and two ashore in November and neither my wife or I can recall getting bitten. But we always watch sunsets from the boat and we always take the furthest available ball from shore (we like the quiet and the breeze) and we don't overnight on the boat at the dock.

Enjoy your trip!!

I recently had 5 family members visiting from Canada here for 11 days. I was concerned about my 2 year old great nephew being bitten by an infected mosquito. Having said that, the trade winds, the (mostly) sunny weather and being careful to wear the right clothing at night and using deet when we thought the risk might be high … and we had no problems.

My doors and windows are open all day long. I close the doors around 4:30 pm. Although my windows are screened, the sliding glass doors are not. I do not use deet unless I am going somewhere that I pretty much know is going to have a lot of mosquitos.

Nobody in my family got ill and we were literally just about everywhere you can think of going. I sit right beside the open glass doors all day every day and I haven't gotten it yet … touch wood. Those darned mozzies love to hide under my desk and I probably get a few bites a day … but I usually get mine back with my handy dandy Windex bottle. They may be able to bite me, but they don't live long enough to bight anyone else. Windex is my weapon of choice and it is 100% effective! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Chikungunya.....
Dengue.... same mosquito that transmits both "hurts"

Lyme from ticks

...now, add bedbugs that should be able to survive nicely down here, I would think, especially in boats....

Wow... I'm gettin' the willies....

lol

According to the CDC's website, as of 13 Jan 15, only 11 cases of chikungunya have been reported in the USA, all in Florida, that originated in the USA. The rest of the cases were came from mosquito bites outside the USA, mostly people on vacation in the Caribbean. The problem is when a sick person is bitten and passes it on to mosquitos in the states.

There is a pilot program in the Florida Keys to use GMO mosquitos to drastically lower the population of "striped-legged" mosquitos which carry chikungunya.