# St Barts Forums > St Barts Trip Reports Forum >  >  Chikungunya Virus and Dengue Fever in St. Barts!!!??

## anthonys

We love St Barth and visited it just in February of this year with hopes to return in April/May.  However, just in February 2014, there were 300 cases of people getting Dengue Fever! A lot of friends of ours cancelled their trips for this year hoping that the next year will be under control.  Can anybody tell me what steps are/will be taken to assure travelers of their safety?

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## andynap

Welcome Anthony. This site has documented every step that the St Bart's Collective has done to alleviate the mosquito that causes the two problems you mention from spraying everyday to instructions on how to protect yourself and the property where you stay. 
This site has numerous threads on how to protect yourself from those mosquitoes. I was there in February as I am every February and documented the steps I take. As much reporting as there is I have not seen reports of 300 cases of Dengue on St. Barts in February alone.

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## JEK

Anthonys, welcome to the forum.

Last report I read the cases had peaked and were on the decline, but perhaps Ellen has a more current assessment. The COM has been spraying insecticide aggressively -- this from today's Le News Screen Shot 2014-03-24 at 7.54.41 AM.jpg

As always, the best defense is on your own person. I was very careful on my last 3 week trip to spray myself morning and evening and I believe I escaped without a single bite. One quickly learns to discern  the "good" mosquito (larger and black) from the "bad" mosquito (much smaller and brown) and apply the electronic paddle to all!

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## JEK

Paste *Chikungunya*


in the search field -- upper right and you will find the articles.


Screen Shot 2014-03-24 at 8.04.43 AM.jpg

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## KevinS

There has been Dengue Fever on St Barth for longer than I've been visiting the island.  I remember seeing warning posters about it in Le Select decades ago.  Dengue Fever is likely endemic, and isn't going to disappear until the mosquitoes that carry it disappear, which isn't going to happen.  Chikungunya is new to the region, or at least newly recognized, and the press coverage has raised awareness of both Chikungunya and Dengue.  It's my impression that the increase in Dengue cases this year is not really any different than in any other year.  Many residents have previously had one or more Dengue serotype, which makes them resistant to that same serotype, but Chikungunya is new.  The presence of a new virus suggests that there will be more people impacted, at least in the short term.

The island appears to be acting aggressively to respond to the problem.  Tons of old tires, which make great mosquito breeding areas, have been removed from the island.  Insecticide spraying has been repeated multiple times, as is noted above, much more frequently than in the recent years.  Education continues, reminding people to remove potential breeding areas, which are basically anything that holds standing water, even something as small as a bottlecap.  

At the end of the day, it's up to each of us to protect ourselves.  Awareness, proper use of repellants, and zapping mosquitoes with a skeeter racket are all part of that.

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## cassidain

anthonys,

i believe that in addition to its efforts to alleviate the problem-causing mosquitos the Collectivité has taken steps to eradicate the little blood suckers too.

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## anthonys

Thank you All for your answers and suggestions! This problem has to be taken seriously as complications of this disease can lead to death! Remember, there is no treatment or vaccine for Chikungunya disease.

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## cec1

Anthony . . . in view of your concern, I think you'll be more comfortable elsewhere.  Please post about your trip . . . folks here always are eager to hear about adventures to other destination.

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## stbartshopper

Our friends who own Villas on the island, and stay for months on end, have all had dengue at some time or another. They have told us it is not pleasant but all have gotten over it and are fine. We visit every year and try to avoid mosquitoes as best we can. We always rent in Pte Milou where there is constant wind but not too much and that keeps the bugs away. At restaurants with little airflow, like Table de Jules, we spray our exposed areas with repellent. We usually end up with a bite of two, but (cross our fingers) have never had anything other than a little itch. The artlcles about dengue and chikungunya have not deterred us from rebooking year after year.

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## MantyPam

> This site has numerous threads on how to protect yourself from those mosquitoes.



I've started my B1 vitamins and stocked up on the Deet!  I'm ready to go in week!  :cool:

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## andynap

> I've started my B1 vitamins and stocked up on the Deet!  I'm ready to go in week!



 :thumb up:

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## jgf711

Andy,

Would you please repost the steps you take?  I searched and looked through every post of yours in February and did not find anything.  My wife and I will be there later this month and I'd like to do what I can to avoid the problem.

Thanks,

Joe

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## JEK

Andy is asleep now. My advice is to spray with 98% DEET morning and evening and rest easy. Andy takes vitamins, wears long pants, socks, leather shoes and long-sleeve shirts. Also has his place (you know which one) sprayed on a daily basis. Get a racket. The electronic kind to zap the strays.

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## KevinS

Joe,  

I'll be on-island later this month too.  Andy will respond for himself, but I can tell you what I plan to continue doing.  First, I'll trust my villa-owner, who I have know for many years, to have done everything that she can do to remove any sources of standing water, which reduces mosquito breeding opportunities.  I will be using two DEET products which I carry with me, Mosquito Milk and OFF, as repellants.  I will also be using a Skeeter Racket to chase down and incinerate any mosquitoes that I can find in the villa (check the corners where there is minimal airflow), especially in the bedrooms.  I keep the A/C going in the bedroom, primarily for comfort, but also to keep the skeeters out.  So far I've been successfully dodging Dengue for 30 years, and hope to continue that record with Chikungunya.

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## Rosemary

+1!

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## Rosemary

> Andy is asleep now. My advice is to spray with 98% DEET morning and evening and rest easy. Andy takes vitamins, wears long pants, socks, leather shoes and long-sleeve shirts. Also has his place (you know which one) sprayed on a daily basis. Get a racket. The electronic kind to zap the strays.



+1!

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## Rosemary

Since Andy is asleep, and I can't, I will affirm these excellent comments!

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## JEK

Luca sleeps. He is having trouble with his sleep patterns as he now can sit-up, and standup. Once in those new positions, becoming prone seems to take assistance.

Tonight, so far so good :)

Screen Shot 2014-04-01 at 11.12.38 PM.jpg

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## Rosemary

Oh!  So dear.

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## amyb

What a darling shot!

Luca is just so proud of his skills and the new views he gets of HIS world are so impressive that he hates to power down. He will. And that's when you hit the sack too.  Tomorrow is another day in Luca-land....

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## amyb

What a darling shot!

Luca is just so proud of his skills and the new views he gets of HIS world are so impressive that he hates to power down. He will. And that's when you hit the sack too.  Tomorrow is another day in Luca-land....


Have you tried reading GOODNIGHT MOON with him? That book worked wonders in our house at bedtime.

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## JEK

That is his standard bedtime book every night! This morning when I checked the cam he was standing and happily dismantling it from the crib.

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## amyb

That's what little boys do! They somehow have to see what makes things tick.

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## Grey

Perhaps Luca gets his interest in technology from his grandfather?

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## MIke R

I too will let Andy speak for himself...

 We do many of the same things as the others....we do not however use DEET products but instead use great working non cancer causing products, and we keep the bedroom air conditioned....use the racket...stay at a place which not only has a constant breeze but very little standing water  in proximity of our place...are extra cautious in the early morning and dusk hours.... .and like Kevin we have avoided Dengue for 30+ years.....

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## Grey

MikeR, I try to avoid Deet products too.  What do you use?

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## leep75

I've only been going to SBH for four years now and only in the summer, but I've never really even noticed mosquitoes during our stay??  They're much worse in Indiana than they are on island (or maybe we've just been lucky)......

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## MIke R

> MikeR, I try to avoid Deet products too.  What do you use?




especially on kids!

We use ( and sell ) Repel and Biteblocker...but really any product with Lemon Eucalyptis is going to work.....the difference between non DEET and DEET products is not the effectiveness but the length of time of protection...with the all natural you have to apply more often..

We ve recently started selling this one

http://www.tremblingleaf.com/

and are field testing it when we are there this month...we field tested it  last summer here and it worked very well

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## andynap

Thanks everyone and I wasn't asleep but there is a time to turn this thing OFF. Speaking off OFF I use Repel 98 percent DEET. But first, I have the villa sprayed before I get there. Then in addition to my personal OFF, right when we are going out at night, I spray  the villa windows and the bathroom with Baygon which can be purchased at any St Barts supermarket. I do use Repel Lemon Eucalyptus on the beach. The electric racquet works great too.

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## amyb

And that ZAP sound you hear when you nail one is PRICELESS!

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## jgf711

Thanks Andy and all others who have chimed in.  This will be our third trip and so far the mosquitoes have not bothered me at all.  My protection, however, is my wife.  The little buggers love her. We're staying at Villa Sud Ouest and it looks like it could have a pretty good breeze (hopefully).  Counting the days...  19 and a wake up.

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