Cholera Outbreak... Am I overreacting?!?!

[islandbride8]

Okay, this may be completely crazy but am I the only one concerned about this?!?!  My Aunt just informed me that the first case of Cholera has been confirmed in the Dominican.  Our wedding isn't until June, but this kind of thing doesn't just go away overnight!  I haven't sent my STD's yet but was going to mail them this weekend.  Is anyone else considering changing their location?  I can't even imagine the nightmare that would be!  Am I being ridiculous or are there others out there with this concern?!?!

[Tropical Imaging]

We live 80 miles north of DR/Haiti, so we're pretty up to spead on what's going on down there as we have many people from both countries living and working here.

 

The case that was in the DR was a Haitian man who had just been to Haiti visiting family.  They isolated him quickly.  Because of the much higher sanitation in the DR and the fact that their water sources won't be contaminated makes it very unlikely to spread there.  You may see isolated cases of people who have traveled from Haiti, but that should be rare.

 

Cholera is transmitted by a bacteria in contaminated water.  It is easily stopped by hand sanitizer, drinking purified water and not bathing in contaminated rivers.  Rinsing food with purified water is also a must.  People who contract cholera can be treated easily and quickly by antibiotics and  IV fluids.  If they have access to both of those things they won't die  .Sadly in Haiti, both of those things are scarce and/or people cannot afford it,  hence the epidemic.  Currently it seems the source of the outbreak is from a United Nations unit who are from Nepal who were dumping sewage from their camp into the local river in the northern area  (there are blog sources and photos of this happening).  The UN and Haitian government are trying to cover it up, but the strain of cholera is an asian strain found in Nepal where Cholera has been found.  Right now the people most affected are people who use that river for their water, bathing, irrigation and they do not have a lot of medical access in villages.  It has spread because the earthquake has left so much damaged that being near a clean water source is very difficult.    I really wouldn't worry, but if you are looking for a good charity there are a lot of local Haitian groups who are in the midst of this nightmare that can benefit.  Real Hope for Haiti and the Heartline Hospital are two great groups where the money goes directly to the projects vs the big charities where the money seems to stay in the corporate offices.

 

Krys

 

[andilynn09]

I was (am) concerned as well! My wedding is 4/8/11 in Punta Cana, and we are getting ready to order our invitations with wedding/AHR info in the next few weeks....aaagh!  I contacted our travel agent today and she did some research on it, she basically said the same as what Krys said above - not to worry yet, but just to keep an eye on the situation to make sure the number of cases doesn't start jumping. For now I think we are going to just watch and wait with our fingers crossed....although I may start looking for possible backup plans just in case it becomes necessary.

[Spazdoodles]

I'm not concerned at this point at all. Like Krys said it's very few isolated cases right now, and the chances of it spreading and running rampant on the resorts is slim at this point. Unless it turns into a full outbreak I will be just as excited to get married in Punta Cana

[futuremrsmerz]

I think it's just best we all keep an eye on the situation, but I definitely don't think it's worth worrying about at this point.  My wedding isn't until next November at the Majestic Colonial.  I really don't think it would spread to resorts who are taking proper precautions anyways.  But I just hope that my guests don't get freaked out about it and not want to come! 

[Anna22]

my wedding is all booked and frankly, I am very concerned.  I would not feel good about myself if on of my 100 guests returned from our DR trip sick from this.  My wedding is 6.26 however the last outbreak was from 97- 2007 so I don't think we are overracting!

[bkbeachbride]

My wedding is in May. I'm not really concerned. I have a feeling that the situation will be contained. It will be fine. The issue is whether some of my guests will opt out after getting wind of the news :-(

[islandbride8]

I'm not so much worried about the resorts.  I think they will do a good job keeping it away from there as they don't want to lose business. My main concern is the airport.  I really don't want this to be a problem...  I really don't think anyone would get sick (just don't drink the water) but I am worried that people won't come (especially those with children)!

[jhartford19]

My wedding is Jan 31 2011, so I am a little worried. I am worried about my mother who just finished cancer treatment and her immune system isn't as strong....

[richarsd]

This is the last thing on my mind. I think Krys provided some very sane and sound information. Colera is generally (and I say generally because anything is possible) not spread from human to human direct contact. It is mostly spread through the water supply. The water supply in the more developed areas of the DR (for example, the resorts in Punta Cana) are treated and filtered. I'd say we have as much of a chance of getting colera from human to human contact in the DR as we do of getting Hepatitis in a restaurant in North America (which can happen but generally does not happen often).