dengue fever oahu?
 

My family and I are leaving for Oahu on Monday, February 11th and with hearing more and more about Dengue Fever outbreak in the islands, am getting a little concerned.<BR>Can you tell me if you would avoid going to certain activities, such as horseback riding, Waimea Valley, etc. or am I blowing this out of proportion? (I have been unable to get in contact with the Center of Disease Control). Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

You're blowing it out of proportion, or at least you've gotten worried about something that is pretty much a non-issue.<BR><BR>The germ that carries dengue fever is now on Oahu. So is the germ for the flu, which will kill far more people on Hawaii than dengue. That's the reason there's no info at the CDC; the danger is so small they have not issued any kind of alert. <BR><BR>Dengue is spread by mosquito bites, so you may choose to avoid places and times of the day when these bites are most likely. Also where long clothing and DEET to keep mosquitos away. For more specific info, check out<BR><BR>www.hawaii.gov/doh/dengue/index.html<BR><BR>And, as always, you're more likely to die while driving to the airport for your flight to Hawaii than you are to even catch dengue. You won't make CNN, but you're still dead. If you claim you should avoid Hawaii due to the danger dengue, you should even more avoid it due to the danger of a car wreck.

www.cdc.gov is the website for Centers for Disease Control. Look for travelers advisories on left-hand scroll bar, or go to CDC A-Z and read about Dengue fever. Absolutely agree with prior poster. West Nile virus, a mosquito borne illness, is now on the East Coast from Virginia to New York, but no reason to stay away, chance of severe illness is so miniscule.

Reply to Ashley24,
We bring mosquito repellant and use as needed. :S-

You could always choose to stay home - and end up bitten by a mozzie carrying West Nile virus.

Don't be silly. GO! Wear repellant and don't worry about it. You're in more danger from being hit by a car.

Ken

For what it's worth, Jill didn't say she was considering not going to Oahu because of the Dengue risk. She just asked if she should avoid certain activities.

True enough.

Ken