Attending a DW and Zika

DH and I are actively TTC, so there's no way I'd go, even for my sister or best friend. The risk might be small, but it's certainly enough to make me skip a party. Happy to send a card, gift, or visit to see photos though!

Yeah, that's a tough one... If you're trying to conceive, or are planning on trying in the next year, then going somewhere with active Zika warnings is a big risk.

Your friend is also aware of this and chose to have it in that location anyway. Due to that reason alone, she should be understanding of younger couples choosing to decline their invitations.

One of my best friends is not even visiting her parents in Florida because of the threat of Zika.

I say if you don't feel comfortable, let your friend know. I'm sure you'll be missed, but your friend will understand!

This is exactly why H and I decided against going to the Caribbean/Bahamas for our honeymoon. My MIL and dad both work in the medical field and advised against it.

We live in FL. There hasn't been a case of non-travel related Zika here since November.

I live in South Florida so I am not an alarmist by nature and looked at the CDC website...Florida is currently clear but DR is not

If you're TTC, I'd probably opt out.

Though living in So Florida, I'd probably get tested anyway because I'm pretty sure there were confirmed cases of local transmission in Florida

We live outside the zone in Florida but yeah it can't hurt to get tested. It was in a specific location in Miami and we don't live there.

I wouldn't risk it if you're wanting to TTC soon. That being said, we did a southern Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon in mid-November and were very conscious of wearing DEET bug spray whenever we were off the ship and stayed out of any sort of wooded areas. We didn't get one bite and never saw a mosquito in any of the 6 ports.

I also live in FL and think it's ridiculous @Alyssa that your friend won't visit her parents in FL. Tell her to check the CDC's website - the one area in S. FL that had Zika exposure (it was only a few miles in area) has been cleared as of early June.

I don't think I'd go :/

Hmm, this is a tough one. sounds like this wedding is several months before your own (and i'm making the assumption you aren't TTC prior to your wedding). you will know before you are TTC if you were bitten by any mosquitos while you were there. CDC recommends waiting 6 months to try to conceive if you have been exposed to zika. i guess you would just have to weigh the relative importance of attending the wedding vs. waiting a few extra months to TTC if you ended up getting bitten.

First - talk to your doctor and visit the CDC website.

Second - I have spent the past 2 days looking up information on Zika, as FH and I plan to start a family soon after our honeymoon in DR. My UO - there's not really enough information readily available to the public to stop me from going on vacation and then TTC a few months after. We'll be bringing bug spray, making sure our vaccines and immunities are up to date (I actually need to get a measels vaccine), and doing our best to stay healthy. Without getting too into details, I do believe there is a small risk, and it's one I'm willing to take, thought MANY MANY people will disagree.

They fumigate resorts very often which removes the mosquitoes. I don't think I would miss my friend's wedding over the possibility of contracting zika UNLESS I was actually pregnant. I also found a report from the PAHO (pan american health organization) on the DR which showed the zika cases declined a ton towards the end of 2016. Even at the height of the outbreak there, there were 300 cases per 100,000 people per week were reported (so 0.003% of the number of people there contracted the disease each week) most of whom were poor local residents who do not live in first world conditions. So the chances of catching it while there for a week are teensy tiny, especially now because the number of cases reported has gone down significantly as compared to the height of the outbreak.

ETA: I was really paranoid about this before I went to SE Asia in March for work... I would just talk to your doctor. Mine helped me make the decision of whether to attend the trip.

@Kimbo and @Anne said what I was going to say, essentially. You have to do what makes you comfortable but be aware of the real facts and talk to a medical professional if you are at all unsure.

The PAHO website @Anne talked about has an interactive map: http://ais.paho.org/phip/viz/ed_zika_countrymap.asp

It shows a significant decrease in confirmed cases throughout 2016. But again - YOU do what makes YOU comfortable!

The CDC says that it's best to avoid travel to the DR for a 6-month period before TTC. If you're thinking of TTC within that time frame, you should certainly consult your ob/gyn.

Personally, I'm not going to knowingly expose my future child to something that could be so devastating—even if it's a 1/1,000 chance. FH and I are delaying TTC because of Zika. The risk, though minimal, is just not worth it to me.

Another option is to see if a Zika test is available where you live. It honestly might be since Florida had Zika. Unfortunately you can't get it where we are yet so we just have to wait it out.

My gyno recommended NOT going to areas like that when trying to conceive. I would take a medical professional's advice.

ETA I don't think you're overreacting!

OK just able to re check this now...

Yeah I will check with my gyno and GP(who is a naturopath) and see what they recommend.

It's just sucks because I don't want to miss a good friends wedding...kinda makes me feel guilty but if the doctor advises against it what can ya do.

I don't think there are solid long term studies to determine the exact amount of time it actually stays in your system from what I've found. I was hoping somebody had found something definitive they could share with me

Thank you for your advice ladies!!!

This is the exact reason we opted out of the Caribbean for our honeymoon and are going to Bermuda instead. We will be TTC immediately after the wedding and it was a risk we did not want to take.

In my opinion, I would not attend the wedding. Your friend was fully aware of this before they booked so it's hard to justify her getting mad about your decision.

My FH and I went to the DR last May. We did a couple of excursions and I really only saw like 2 mosquitos. In terms of time after exposure, neither of us were allowed to donate blood for a year after.

Like others, if you're not TTC for the next year, I would probably go.

I wouldnt go. As much as I would love the couple the potential health of my potential unborn would be much more important. I would just let them know that because of this I regretfully will have to decline