Wednesday, April 24, 2024

March Break Zika warning

First Published:

[projekktor id=’27289′]

A new study finds that some Canadian travellers are being hit hard with the Zika virus.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal conducted Zika research with over 1,000 affected Canadians, a few of whom experienced a serious and less common medical condition.

It is well known that Zika virus is predominantly dangerous for pregnant women, or couples who want to conceive in the near future but a new study shows that of 1,118 Canadian travellers, 41 were diagnosed with Zika and 2 of those people experienced much more than just the run of the mill symptoms.

About 5% developed a severe complication of Zika virus, that’s been described previously, known as Guillain-barre syndrome. Guillain-barre syndrome is a neurological complication where the body’s immune system attacks the nerve cells.

In some extreme cases it could also cause temporary paralysis. This study comes just before March Break, a time when many Canadians are getting ready to jet off to a sunny destination. Trip Central’s, Diane Beltrano, says the countries with Zika virus are some of the most popular March Break getaways.

According to Beltrano, “The Zika virus at this point is pretty much spread through out the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, South America.. which is predominantly where we are booking vacation travel.”

If you are planning a vacation to a Zika affected country, and there’s a possibility that you could become pregnant before then, Beltrano says you should invest in travel insurance. “And specifically insurance that covers cancellation for any reason. If its just straight trip cancellation and its for unexpected, this would not be a covered risk.”

Beltrano says because Zika is now a well known virus, insurance companies no longer consider it a justifiable unexpected reason to cancel a trip. If you are heading to a Zika effected country this March Break, take mosquito repellent and protect yourself from exposure.

More Top News

Hamilton set to vote on vacant housing tax bylaw

Hamilton is once again looking at creating a city-wide bylaw that taxes vacant homes. On Wednesday, council is expected to decide on passing a vacant...

Niagara home struck by gunfire following late-night shooting

Niagara police are on the hunt for a vehicle they believe may be connected to a shooting. Officers say that residents in a home near...

Police confirm shooting occurred near Gage Park

Hamilton police say they're trying to narrow down the exact day a shooting occurred after discovering a bullet casing near Gage Park. The discovery of...

Stoney Creek murder case: Witness takes stand after being wrongfully arrested

The Crown prosecutor was building his case Tuesday in the murder trial of Oliver Karafa and Lucy Li. The jury heard evidence from a...

St. Catharines considers downtown heritage district

St. Catharines is looking to make its entire downtown core a heritage district, which would protect dozens of buildings and the people who live...

Newsmakers: McMaster prof weighs in on Donald Trump hush-money trial

VIDEO: On an all-new episode of Newsmakers, Louie Butko takes a look at the on-going criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump with...

Hamilton set to vote on vacant housing tax bylaw

Hamilton is once again looking at creating a city-wide bylaw that taxes vacant homes. On Wednesday, council is expected to decide on passing a vacant...