We were supposed to go to Mexico in March but I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and canceled due to the Zika travel advisory. Because we were bummed to cancel, we booked a replacement trip for August to Hilton Head, SC (supposed to visit the in-laws for a couple of days at their house in SC and then head to the beach). When I asked one of the docs in my practice months ago about travel to SC, she said to cancel if there were any home-grown Zika incidences in the continental U.S., which happened in FL on Friday. I asked another doc at my practice today and her advice was that there is no Zika in South Carolina and that even though it is on the CDC watch list, it is still ok to go so long as I wear deet and stay away from FL. So now I've gotten two different opinions... We have a Plan B vacation planned to a resort outside Toronto on Lake Huron (no Zika risk there but I'm definitely not as excited about the trip). If it were you, would you err on the side of caution and stay north or would try not to worry and continue with the original plan? Ugh. Getting the conflicting opinions just made everything harder. I'd just hate to miss out on another vacation if I'm being irrationally cautious when it's not an imminent threat (as of today, there are only 4 cases of home grown Zika in a specific neighborhood of Miami).
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@Shantuck: well, I'm biased as I'm posting this from a beach on Lake Huron near Toronto
...I would do that instead and not worry about the risk at all, but I'm a very low risk person and would be anxious the whole trip.
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Will you be able to relax and enjoy yourself in SC? Knowing myself, I would be really paranoid anyway and it would be hard to enjoy myself. But I also think it's probably safe so it's more how you will feel.
For me I'd probably err on the side of caution and stay north, since I'd rather be able to fully relax.
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@tinyperson: We're looking at staying in Blue Mountain, Ontario. Are you familiar with that area at all?
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@Shantuck: I've never been, but it's popular! I think @travelgirl1: went last year...my parents live further south on the lake so that's where we go.
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I was faced with a similar scenario in April - we had a big trip planned to Grand Cayman. There wasn't any Zika cases there before we went and my OB gave me the advice of go if there's no Zika there, but wear DEET and limit time outside at night. I did that, but honestly I was really nervous about it the whole time (I was 13 weeks pregnant at the time). It definitely put a damper on my vacation. 4 months later and there's still no Zika there yet.
My advice would be to go somewhere else where it won't even be a thought.
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I say stick with it, as long as you could cancel if for some crazy reason there were confirmed cases in Hilton Head closer to your trip.
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I would go, but I live closer to FL than SC is (or at least similarly close) so I have no hope of avoiding Zika watch places.
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I think you'll be fine and I would go. I'm planning to go to Bermuda in October, I really hope it doesn't end up there. My parents live in Florida and I'm not sure I will go for Christmas which is super duper depressing.
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I'm super cautious, so I'd probably go to Canada. I wouldn't want to be worrying about zika creeping up to SC over the next month and having to cancel another vacation. Plus even if there were no confirmed cases, I'd probably still be very nervous the whole time anyway. Better to go somewhere where you can relax about it, and visit SC (and Mexico) another time.
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I think you'll be fine to go. I think its an odd recommendation to not travel ANYWHERE continental USA just because there were cases in South Florida. I mean, should no one visit Maine or Washington state either?
But at some point you have to figure out what you are comfortable with. If you have the option to go somewhere else and are ok with that trip and would be more comfortable up there, go there.
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I wouldn't go to Mexico, but I think I would still go to SC. (granted, I live in Georgia so the risk might seem lower to me).
If there is any evidence of Zika transmission in SC or even GA before your trip I would cancel, but I don't think the risk is very high based on a few confirmed cases in southern FL.
Hope you have a great, relaxing vacation either way!
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I think that considering all the cases were found so close together (at a very southern point in FL), I highly doubt it will have made it to SC this month. Also, at this point is there much cause for worry about microcephaly? If you were first tri in March, you must be pretty far along now.
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I would continue with your trip as planned. Like previous posters said, those cases were found all in one location in southern Florida. The only way it could make it to SC by the time of your trip is if a *person* carried it there and then got bitten by a new mosquito, which is just as likely to happen anywhere else that mosquito species is common.
I will say that if this is something that is going to be bothering you the whole trip (because "mama bear" is not always rational, and for good reason), then go ahead and plan to travel somewhere else.
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@T.H.O.U.: Perhaps I didn't clearly state the first doctor's recommendation. The recommendation is to avoid adjacent states that are on the watch list rather than avoiding any state on the continental U.S. Per the first doctor, I'm free to travel to most of the continental U.S. - she just doesn't recommend going to the next state or two over (I'd be flying into and out of GA).
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I would just go elsewhere for a peace of mind!
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@ShootingStar: I'll be just entering the third trimester when we arrive but Dr. Google has been scaring me.... http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/06/zika-after-30-weeks/489284/ and http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/04/zika-threat-by-trimester/476931/.
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@Shantuck: That is a scary article. Regardless, I still doubt it'll make it's way to SC any time soon, if at all. But you have to do what makes you comfortable!
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I think you should do whatever will cause you less stress. If, knowing yourself, you know if you go to SC you'll never be able to chill and relax on the beach because you'll be worrying, then don't go. A vacation spent worrying isn't a vacation at all!
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Who knows how far it could spread by March. If it were me I wouldnt risk it and would go to Canada.
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@Shantuck: have you seen there were more cases in that one spot in Miami? Up to 15 locally acquired cases I believe. I would stay up there so I could actually relax on my trip for sure. So scary.
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agree with @ShootingStar: @magnoliamama42: that zika isn't going to hit Hilton Head this month, and that the Florida cases (even if spreading) are still SUPER localized. I am such a paranoid, cautious person that I've been not eating salad greens to avoid possible listeria my entire pregnancy, but I'd still go on this trip--I don't think you're risking anything at all. if you go, wear tons of deet and don't worry if you get two mosquito bites
@Coffee-lover: for sure who knows how far it could spread by March--so frightening to think about--but her vacation to HH is now, in August.
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I would just change your plans to Canada now, so you don't even have to worry about it and you have more time to get psyched up for Toronto trip.
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I'm an anxious person so I would probably just go to Canada. Otherwise I would be paranoid the whole trip! Plus Canada is really gorgeous this time of year.
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