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With Zika In Cuba, Visitors Asked To Bring Bug Spray To Share

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Wikimedia
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Travelers to Cuba should bring lots of mosquito repellant -- not just for themselves.

The Zika virus is being spread by mosquitos in Cuba, so travelers are being told to bring bug spray to protect themselves.

Suzanne Carlson, owner of Carlson Maritime Travel in Tarpon Springs, says visitors should also bring extra to share with locals with no access to bug repellant.

"The last time I was down there I asked some of my associates and friends 'What can I bring you?'” Carlson said. “In the past mosquito repellant wasn't on that list and it is now. ‘Bring me repellant for my children.’"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel alert for visitors to Cuba. It says people returning from the island should be on alert for three weeks after their visit, trying to prevent new mosquito bites and using protection during sex. 

Julio Ochoa is editor of Health News Florida.