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On an overcast February day, travel agents from Travel Leaders in Maple Grove say Minnesotans are planning escapes to places of warmth and sunshine.
"We're coming up to the really busy season for spring break this year," said Nora Blum, director of sales and marketing for Travel Leaders. "Always popular are Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii is very popular this year."
But Blum says the threat of Zika virus in Mexico and parts of South America, particularly for women who are pregnant or looking to become pregnant has people concerned.
"We have had a couple customers call and ask questions," Blum said. "Most of them have continued on with their plan. There have been a few, because they are in that small segment of the population that are pregnant, who have decided to change their destination or postpone travel."
Travel agents aren't the only ones getting questions about Zika virus.
"We've been getting a lot of phone calls and a lot of questions about what to do from pregnant women, but also just patients in general," said Dr. Megan Shaughnessy, medical director of infectious disease and travel clinic at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Dr. Shaughnessy says only about 20 percent of people infected with the virus have symptoms.
"They're usually relatively mild symptoms, but often fevers, joint pains, headaches, rash and red eyes have been some of the most common symptoms," she said.
The virus, which is spread mostly by mosquitoes, has gotten increased attention because it has shown up in parts of the world where it hadn't been found previously. Along with that, Zika virus is possibly linked to serious birth defects.
"I would recommend that if a woman is pregnant to talk with their doctor, potentially be seen in a travel clinic to get appropriate advice, and consider postponing their trip, if possible, particularly if they're early in the first trimester of their pregnancy," Dr. Shaughnessy said.
It's a word of warning for people looking to escape the clutches of old man winter. By and large though, travel agents say it's mostly business as usual.
"Yup, people are proceeding with plans as usual, and enjoying the beautiful destinations of Mexico and the Caribbean over the spring break," Blum said.
Doctors say if you are planning to travel to areas where the Zika virus is present, to protect yourself with insect repellent.
Meanwhile, it's also possible for people to spread Zika virus through sexual activity. However, there's disagreement in the medical community about how long the virus remains in bodily fluids, so there are no set guidelines as to how long someone potentially infected with Zika should abstain from sexual activity.
Delane Cleveland
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