There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the Zika Virus and travel to potentially affected areas by those who are not of childbearing age.

Health professionals at the CDC are only warning those who might be of childbearing age to avoid those areas affected by the Zika virus.  And while the Zika virus is now understood to be transmittable through sexual contact, the only way a young mother might put her child in danger is through direct contact with an affected mosquito, sexual transmission, or through blood transfusion.

Therefore, the Zika virus poses no threat to a traveler who is not a woman of childbearing age, or those who might have sexual contact with a woman of childbearing age and thereby potentially affecting a fetus.

Can baby boomer travelers get the Zika virus? 

Yes.  But the symptoms generally go unnoticed, or at the worse give flu-like symptoms.  And, after 7-days the symptoms are gone and the carrier is likely immune to the virus in the future. To learn more, watch this video by Dr. Sanjay Gupta as he answers questions about the Zika virus.

Zika Virus and the Travel Industry

The Caribbean and Mexico are very popular destinations for honeymooners and young folks.  These regions offer affordable travel and are replete with all-inclusive destinations.  Sadly, this has caused these young, childbearing aged folks to steer clear of the region and has now started to affect the wallets of these destinations.

However, on the flip-side, baby boomer travelers desiring to visit the affected regions are likely to start finding fabulous travel offers as travel brands look to woo older travelers to their direction.

Therefore, while it seems callous to say, this pesky little mosquito is going to give the boomer traveler a likely financial travel boon. We expect to see a new breed of offers coming from cruise lines as well as Mexican and Caribbean destinations.

To learn more from the CDC on the Zika virus, click here.

Unfortunately, we agree with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, if you’re a young couple of childbearing age, don’t go to affected areas.

Disclosure: we are not medical experts and don’t profess to provide expert medical opinions on this subject.  We are simply passing this information along to keep our readers and clients informed.
 
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