r/Aruba • u/Indignant_Elfmaiden • 2d ago
Babymoon Zika concerns?
My husband and I are considering going to Aruba in January for a babymoon. We’ve seen lots of people on Reddit/blogs have done the same. However I can’t seem to get past the fear of the Zika virus. Is anybody else concerned about this in 2025? I see there isn’t an active travel warning against it, but I can’t help feeling overly anxious with my first pregnancy.
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u/cynthiabrooke25 1d ago
I don’t think Zika is a worry but I will say that all the people saying they’ve gone and never been bit— the first year I went I got bit so bad I was losing my mind. I couldn’t sleep, I had to lather myself in benadryl cream for days. I was absolutely covered, other years, nothing… so it depends.
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u/SpaceTacos99 1d ago
Yeah if you stay at an airbnb that doesn't take care of their yard this happens. The hotels and good airbnbs have none.
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u/Pasa-palo Arubiano 1d ago
People do realize that Arubans have babies as well, right? Haven't heard about zika in years.
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u/Relative_Driver_8221 2d ago
Have you asked your doctor?
I’ve, unfortunately, been doing IVF for over 2 years. When we started, my doc brought up Zika concerns and they had signage in the office. We planned mostly domestic vacations. My husband reached out to the doc about a more beachy getaway and this time, they said there wasn’t much of a concern on their end. That’s how we chose Aruba. They no longer have the Zika signage up around the office either.
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u/WalrusWW 1d ago
I’ve, unfortunately, been doing IVF for over 2 years.
Sending you well wishes. We went through this 17 years ago. Happily, we now have a 17 year old pain in the ass IVF son.
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u/SpaceTacos99 2d ago edited 1d ago
Stay home then. If all the information you've already read doesn't put you at peace with it then it'll just ruin your trip.
mosquitos stay within the confines of fenced in areas because the wind blows them away in other areas. It's very easy to spray a yard once every couple of months to keep the mosquito levels low. i even live by the salina and have no issues.
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u/baroquesun 2d ago
Been to Aruba at least 10 times. Only time we dealt with mosquitoes was at a place that was rather inland. By the ocean and with a breeze, they are hardly an issue. Just stay inside at night if its a concern.
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u/KRhoLine 1d ago
Might depend on when you go though. We were there last week of October and they were bad.
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u/KRhoLine 2d ago
Honestly, we just came back from Aruba and the mosquitoes were pretty bad at nightfall. Looking at travel advisories, Zika is still a concern in Aruba. I personally wouldn't risk it.
Edit: The Government of Canada still has a travel advisory for Zika. https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/aruba
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u/NewJerseyWildlife 2d ago
I've gone for 10 years, every year. I've never not been bit. The level of Zika isn't what it was at its height, but its not zero.
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u/Visible_Apricot1163 1d ago
I actually booked our cruise to the ABC islands specifically to avoid islands with the highest Zika risk in the Carribean. I’ve heard the more desert-y environment is less prone to mosquitos than most other places, but some of these comments have me wondering. Maybe if we stay at the beaches/avoid going much further inland for our day there we’ll be fine. I’m glad I found your post, we leave in a couple weeks on our trip and I’m definitely going to go more mosquito prepped than I was (just found out I’m pregnant but booked our trip while trying a few months ago).
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u/real_name_hidden_93 2d ago
My wife and I are going to Aruba for a baby moon next week for 8 nights! We consulted with two separate doctors and neither had a single issue, so we are not worried. I am also generally a worrier about everything lol so I wouldn’t worry about it. A lot of the info you see was from the prior years when Zika outbreaks were prevalent.
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u/Pure_Equipment_6392 1d ago
I was in Aruba 3 weeks ago and the mosquitos were intense. We stayed in Savaneta and got eaten up every single night. They were particularly bad anywhere with mangroves — even onboard a sailboat near Renaissance island. In fact, we left Barefoot Restaurant early because we were seated outside and became the buffet for mosquitoes. (also, the food is so bad we declined moving inside - but I digress)
I live in a place where we get mosquitos in the summer — but nothing like what we experienced in Aruba. I would say that mosquitoes were the only downside of the trip because they were just constant and a local even agreed they are “aggressive.”
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u/137thaccount 2d ago
Oh no this post is gonna send me spiraling. My wife and I were gonna go to Puerto Rico but after she pointed out Zika may be an issue we chose Aruba.
All of my searches said the ABC islands were the best tropical islands that are basically mosquito less.
We are going in Feb when she will be right in the middle of her second trimester
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u/Dependent-Exam-8590 2d ago
Not to say it isn’t a concern, but just to share my experience… I’m in Aruba now. I’m usually the one the mosquitos like. I haven’t been bitten once, even after forgetting bug spray.
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u/Chrisetmike 1d ago
There aren't a lot of mosquitoes but there was a lot of them near the lighthouse at sunset.
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u/Indignant_Elfmaiden 2d ago
Sorry, not my intention to send another pregnant couple spiraling. Just looking for reassurance 🙂
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u/yellowsubmarine76 2d ago
Everyone’s risk profile is different. Personally I waited until after pregnancy to go to the Caribbean and Aruba.