Da*n!!! why me

Because March is wet season, but right now I can tell you its hot and sunny in Cairns.

What date will you be here? The forecast I'm looking at goes out to March 19, and all I can see are showers or possible showers, which means nothing much at all.

Yep January to April you can expect to get wet, February/March being normally expected peak months and it's kind of like you can either catch it and get drenched or you fit in between and sweat a bit.

But there'll be locals who have acclimatised and love nothing better, but just a bit harder for visitors to acclimatise in a week or whatever and fall in love.

Also prepare yourself for a bit of humidity in NQ for though wet season is nominally over by end of April it has been a good one and not unknown to have late rains but regardless I've experienced quite humid times as late as May.

Get yourself some Bushmans insect repellant [no connection] too and have long legged/sleeved wear for evenings and beware mosquitoes for Dengue fever has been at record levels this past summer and aside from making you feel not too good it can be fatal.

Very, very rare to have humid conditions as late as end April & May. Any dengue fears should also have passed by this time.
Your chances of contracting & then dying from dengue in Cairns are extremely remote. If you have have contracted dengue previously then the more lethal strain of hemorrhagic dengue is a concern.
Don't know what this has to do with your original post though
hypatia?

The previous post is a great understatement to what I have experienced in what was a relatively dry wet season that had minimal waterflow in some hinterland waterfalls.

Dengue fever carrying mosquitoes as with any mosquitoes can be about any time in the tropics and will still be very much about in May.

What it has DearDD to the original post is to forewarn hypatia of what knowledge any visitor to tropical environments should become sensibly aware of.

I have experienced more than 20 wet & dry seasons in Cairns & believe I am well qualified to state from my personal experiences over a long period of time. Especially when compared to a one off experience.
History shows that the vast majority of dengue outbreaks
(14 of the last 18)in Queensland have lasted less than 10 weeks.
The number of new dengue cases in Cairns is not growing at an alarming rate & the problem should be eradicated by the dry season.
I haven't heard you mention the oily beaches of SE Qld. BR.
Surprising as you love a disaster.

Forgot to mention that Hypatia lives in Florida and as such would be well aware of tropical environments.
Probably more so than others.

You cannot always use history to predict outcomes DD and especially when this outbreak has been the largest recorded, and that possibly quite likely to a relatively big wet season following many drier ones.

I would hope the number of outbreaks was being arrested for that shows the suppression work could be of some effect and lets not hope that they think like you and decide to ease off.

Early may is still wet to dry transition and if you believe in your historical experience, go argue with http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/...45+2100+94287W , the ammount of water not suddenly evaporating but you may want to think that way.

You asked of relevance on another thread but suppose the oil has you fouled.

And even for people from Florida DD, it nearly seems as though you would wish for visitors to Australia not to be appraised of what there is no harm to be aware of and to re-inforce adopting sensible precautions.

And on that note hypatia, do be aware of the Australian sun, broad brim hat, suitable clothing and plenty of sunscreen, especially if you are disposed to easy burning.
If you go snorkelling make sure you have something on that covers your back, even a tee shirt for you can get extra red without even knowing it, and covering up is preferable to sunscreen to avoid adding to reef waters contamination.

Population of Cairns region approx. 150,000
Total confirmed cases of dengue fever in Cairns region : 675
% of people who have contracted Dengue in Cairns region :0.45%

That's right not even a half of one percent.
Hardly an epidemic & hardly worth advising upcoming visitors to Cairns that they may die;

"Get yourself some Bushmans insect repellant [no connection] too and have long legged/sleeved wear for evenings and beware mosquitoes for Dengue fever has been at record levels this past summer and aside from making you feel not too good it can be fatal".

Next you will be suggesting that they should wear a full body beekeepers suit! Then they would feel the heat!

There is a big difference between advising people to adopt sensible precautions than being deliberately misleading & attempting to scare them.

That's one strange post in my book DD for I have not called it an epidemic and I'd let the officials in the government health department determine how they would have it described or perhaps it is just the media that coins the phrases for them.

Regardless of what it may be called, where have I mislead and though I am wanting to alert people to prevailing situations they may experience and so they take precautions so as not to be overly concerned and still enjoy their holiday, if by alerting people I was ever to save one person from contracting something I would be far happier in that thought than I am on people who seem to see it OK to want to dismiss such knowledge.

Some links on the situation hypatia

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news...842468730.html
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=128560

There is much more information available hypatia and other misquito borne diseases too, perhaps you also having some down Florida way though Florida is not quite at same latitudes in respect to the equator and true tropical conditions, more sub tropical.

Do ignore any playing of it down and take precautions, be alert for mosquitoes about including checking near furniture outside and inside anywhere you are staying and you should be fine but be ignorant of a situation and like anything you can be exposed to, it'll just increase risk for you.

In printing the up to date statistics regarding the outbreak I believe that I have advised potential visitors to the region of any inherent risk.
Nothing strange about that.
To state that dengue can be fatal in response to what had aready been written was unnecessary & didn't explain the current situation or the disease.
All you said was that "aside from making you feel not too good it can be fatal."
What a great message to send to anyone intending to visit the Cairns region.
And to then advise them to check near furniture , inside or out, made me laugh aloud!
I have a vision of 2 misinformed tourists rabidly looking under their table at dinner & then advising other diners that they should BEWARE OF MOSQUITOS.
I have not played down, nor have I dismissed knowledge of the outbreak & am happy to discuss it.
You on the other hand move from the ridiculous to the hysterical..........quite smoothly!

If there's any hysterics going on DD, it is quite clearly and historically you and you seem to be rapidly and eratically losing it with lapses you have for I posted at post #3
" Get yourself some Bushmans insect repellant [no connection] too and have long legged/sleeved wear for evenings and beware mosquitoes for Dengue fever has been at record levels this past summer and aside from making you feel not too good it can be fatal."
and with you being in denial you come up with
"Don't know what this has to do with your original post though
hypatia?"
And now
"That's right not even a half of one percent.
Hardly an epidemic & hardly worth advising upcoming visitors to Cairns that they may die;"
followed by
" Next you will be suggesting that they should wear a full body beekeepers suit! Then they would feel the heat!

There is a big difference between advising people to adopt sensible precautions than being deliberately misleading & attempting to scare them."

Quite absurdly eratic all because in the first instance you seem to have this problem with making visitors aware of local conditions

And through your own scrambled way you have a relapse and put forth information that you seem to think is not worthy of advising visitors.

Have a good look at the nature of your posts and perhaps you could see your way clear to one attitude I always adopt in being prepared to provide travellers with relevant advice but that would be wishful thinking given your history and what appears to be deeply ingrained.

Ask yourself for instance, would you rather have visitors sufficiently alert to minimise any risk of contracting a potential illness and be able to go away and relate to others that yep, despite some tropical conditions to be aware of we had a great time or would you rather have them in greater ognorance and perhaps place themselves at greater risk, possibly resulting in a situation that could have them forever detesting somewhere?

Somehow I do not feel you have the ability to be honest with yourself let alone anyone else and so you stick with your visions and I'll have my approach.

Thanks for that, & I hope you feel better now.
I haven't heard you talk about crocodile attacks in Australia yet but if you aren't up with the news perhaps you better start surfing, because it appears that when travelling to Australia this year you are 3 times more likely to be taken by a crocodile than you are to die from dengue fever.
Perhaps you should start mentioning this with every one of your posts.
Must tell everybody everything you know.

I'm off to bed, however I thought I should let you know that I have checked under & above all furniture in & around the house, both inside & out & I think that we are safe.....for tonight anyway!

Suppose you reckon it'd be a piece of cake just having Dengue would you DD? - could we call it DDD?