A virus already having a huge impact on travel continues to spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects more Americans coming back from vacation at certain hot spots to be infected with the Zika virus.
Nearly every major cruise liner departing from South Florida has at least one destination currently affected by the Zika virus. Peggy Cleary is a travel agent at Eileen's Travel agency in Downtown West Palm Beach. She's advising her customers to choose wisely when dreaming about a tropical vacation.
"I do have a honeymooner, a honeymoon couple looking at the Caribbean for their honeymoon in April. So, I’m trying to steer them clear of any of the islands that have been affected because it is a honeymoon and you don’t know what could happen," said Cleary.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning pregnant women that one bite from a Zika-infected mosquito could cause major birth defects. The virus also causes fever, rashes, and joint pain, among other symptoms. The CDC reports outbreaks in Central and South America, The Caribbean, Mexico, the Pacific Island of Samoa, and Cape Verde, Africa.
"It's always a good idea to get trip insurance so that if a medical issue does come up whether it's this or even anything else, to have the medical insurance that has the emergency medical evacuation which gets you home and to your own doctor," added Cleary.
Major airlines and cruse lines are allowing pregnant women to rebook or receive refunds if they have trips booked to any of the impacted regions. Cleary says she hasn't had to make any changes for customers yet, but expects that will chance.
"I expect there will be more calls as this continues to seemingly grow as it's doing," she added.
