This series of updating articles is intended to help travelers to learn about the situation of the Zika Virus in Costa Rica, to learn about the risks which can be small, and to give notice on the precautions to evade Zika.
Several health organizations like WHO and CDC, are concentrated on the approach of Zika virus and its spreading.
The interest surrounding Zika has been focused on the suspected link connecting the virus and a critical birth defect known as microcephaly.
August 5th, 2016, Situation of Zika Virus in Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s confirmed Zika cases are 295, according to the Health Ministry.
The July 27th report stated there are 295 confirmed cases of Zika virus, 116 of them in the Central Pacific canton of Garabito where the popular beach destination of Jacó is located.
Of the 295 affected, 111 are men, and 184 are women. Patients range from 1 to 74 years old, and the average age is 25, the ministry reported.
There are 15 pregnant women reported: Three of them already gave birth. None have any complications or malformations reported
Source: C.C.S.S.
July 8th, 2016, Situation of Zika Virus in Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s confirmed Zika cases are 159, according to the Health Ministry.
The July 7th report stated there are 159 confirmed cases of Zika virus, 88 of them in the Central Pacific canton of Garabito where the popular beach destination of Jacó is located.
Of the 159 affected, 71 are men, and 88 are women. Patients range from 1 to 74 years old, and the average age is 20, the ministry reported.
There are six pregnant women reported: One of them already gave birth. None have any complications or malformations reported
Source: C.C.S.S.
June 15th, 2016, Situation of Zika Virus in Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s tally of confirmed Zika cases exceeded 100 last week, according to the Health Ministry.
The June 15 report stated there are 107 confirmed cases of Zika virus, 67 of them in the Central Pacific canton of Garabito where the popular beach destination of Jacó is located.
Of the 107 affected, 46 are men, and 61 are women. Patients range from 3 to 74 years old, and the average age is 17, the ministry reported.
Source: CCSS
June 10th, 2016, Situation of Zika Virus in Costa Rica:
98 cases
Jaco Beach: 72 Cases
Nicoya Peninsula: 9 Cases
Central Valley: 9 Cases
Caribbean Coast: 3 Cases
Puntarenas: 5 Cases
Mosquito eradication efforts are being increased, but cases are expected to continue to rise as the Pacific and central mountain rainy season begins.
June 6th, 2016, Situation in Costa Rica on Zika Virus Spreading:
70 cases of Zika transmission
Jaco Beach and Parrita town: 57 cases
Nicoya Peninsula (Nosara Beach): 9 cases
San José (Alajuelita Area -nontouristy-): 4 cases
Mosquito eradication efforts are being increased, but cases are expected to continue to rise as the Pacific and central mountain rainy season begins.
What is Costa Rica doing about it:
Zika Virus mosquito
There have been over 1 810.452 (1,600,000 in June) potential breeding spots eliminated, as well as a widespread visitation from health authorities in houses and businesses in the affected areas looking for more potential breeding places.
But most of all there has been a very strong campaign in schools oriented to educate and prepare the communities against the mosquitoes and the disease.
Find here some of the documents that have been given or posted in schools and communities to educate the population:
| Enclosed PDF | Size |
|---|---|
| What is Zika (Symptoms) | 132.48 KB |
| Personal Guide to the elimination of Breeding Places (MS-MEP) | 472.91 KB |
| How does the Zika Virus affect pregnancies and newborn babies? (M.S.) | 141.73 KB |
| Zika Symptoms – (M.S.) | 128.82 KB |
| Recommendations for traveling pregnant women (M.S.) | 132.67 KB |
| Recycle or eliminate the garbage (M.S.) | 283.98 KB |
| Eliminate all objects that accumulate water (M.S.) | 270.23 KB |
| Recycle old tires (M.S.) | 314.07 KB |
Understanding How Zika Virus Can Affect Your Trip
Zika virus
A key way for travelers to manage their risk concerning Zika is in understanding that the virus is primarily transmitted to people via mosquito bites, which is why the following information is important:
The CDC offers a wealth of information on Zika as well as prevention at this link.
The CDC also reports instances of Zika being transmitted sexually and provides information on sexual transmission and prevention at this link.
Favorably, CDC also reports, “Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for only a few days to a week. The virus will not cause infections in an infant that is conceived after the virus is cleared from the blood. There is currently no evidence that Zika virus infection poses a risk of birth defects in future pregnancies.”
It’s also key to understand that the potential warning to most travelers vs. pregnant women is quite distinct:
For most travelers, the CDC reports that “About 1 in 5 people infected with Zika will get sick. For people who get sick, the illness is usually mild. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected…The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon…”
For pregnant women the situation is different, “Until more is known, CDC recommends special precautions for pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant,” which one can read at this link.
Summarizing the information acquitted from different sources:
Who is the population at risk?
1) Pregnant Women
If you are pregnant yes. Consider postponing your trip to Zika-affected or countries at risk (Costa Rica and the others). Through 2015, pediatric neurologists in Brazil started to see that some pregnant women infected with Zika gave birth to babies with an awful birth defect called microcephaly, which is described by a contracted head and incomplete brain development.
As Zika reached Brazil in the April of 2015, more than 4,000 cases of microcephaly have been stated in newborns born to mothers with Zika virus.
Scientists are still researching how many of these birth congenital disorders were really caused by the virus, and if the link is real (i.e., whether it’s Zika and not an interaction with other environmental factors causing the harm to fetuses).
In the meantime, as a precaution measure, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending pregnant women to avoid areas with the virus. You can see this list for countries that presently have Zika travel advisories and expect that the CDC will keep adding more to the list as the virus extends. And if you do cancel because of Zika, your airline may be posting a refund or credit, so make sure to ask about that.
2) Women trying to get pregnant
Please be careful. The CDC recommends consulting your doctor before traveling and following steps to prevent mosquito bites during the trip.
3) Women who want to get pregnant
No need to worry. Zika virus does not seem to risk of birth defects for future pregnancies. As best researchers can tell, the virus clears itself from the body pretty quickly, remaining in the blood for only about a week after infection.
4) Men with a partner who is trying to become pregnant
It’s likely that a man who travels to an infected region and gets bitten by a mosquito carrying Zika could later conduct the virus through sexual intercourse. There have been two studies in the medical literature that suggest this is a risk.
Sources:
Ministry of Health of Costa Rica
