West Nile

[Guesty]

We are coming to Carvoeiro tomorrow but I notice today in the UK a scare about above virus in the Algarve. Are the mossys bad there and what precautions do you recommend?
regardsge

[Guest]

Just got back to UK from Cvo. and didnt see or hear one and never have done in all the years we have come here- in the past week back in UK we have been plagued by swarms of flying ants, wasps and ......mosquitoes
More chance of coming across... a very large snake as my other half spotted one on one of his cliff walks

[Guesty]

Thank you very much for that re-assurance as we have small children and any thing like this gives one a bit of a jitter. I assume no insect spays need at night outside then?

[Guest]

If you want to use insect sprays,gadgets then they are available to buy. There is a very good pharmacy in centre of village and though some people seem to attract mosquitoes we honestly have never noticed any at all at night and neither have friends and family who go to Cvo too.
Have a lovely holiday and having kiddies the main thing is to try and make sure they drink plenty of water and don't get sunburn!

[iane]

Although the reported cases were very rare I would still advise visitors at this time of year to use insect repellant sprays expecially for children - that doesn't mean that the risk is exceptional but care should always be used.

Have a good holiday

[no it all]

See July 27 thread: Mosquito problems?

[Gambrinus]

Thank you very much for that re-assurance as we have small children and any thing like this gives one a bit of a jitter.

Over-50s are more prone to developing symptoms than younger people and severe disease is virtually unknown in children.

It is funny, how crucial points like this find their way to the end of the article - whilst the first few paragraphs give the impression that we are all going to die from bubonic nile plague if we do not take bi-daily baths in mosquito repellent.

I guess they have found the marketing tool of the 21st century - FEAR....but wait, americans have been frightening their population into all sorts of buying frenzies for the past decades.

The State Department has issued a blanket alert because of a general threat we received.

Dear european media, we do not wish to end up like america, shooting everything that we don't know with ballistic and intercontinental repellents. Therefore, we would apreciate less spectacular and more founded, in-depth and accurate information to be provided to viewers and readers in the future.

[digger]

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/
says….
“The Guardian has some remarkable reporting these days, in a style midway between The Economist and The New York Times--that is, analytical and slightly distant but about today's news. Their art criticism is also very thoughtful. (I read the paper in England for a while in the early 1970s, when it was infamous for typos. Back then, Private Eye, an English satirical weekly, called it ‘The Gruniad’ because the paper once allegedly misspelled its own name.)”

whilst
http://www.silentmajority.co.uk/eurorealist/lfa12.html
says ……
“The Gruniad is 'media for media trendies' and survives by publishing
politically correct articles and adverts - PC is the last refuge of the
scoundrel.”

[Guest]

I completely agree with you on this, typical media scare tactics to sell more newspapers.
We are out here at the moment, and although we have had the odd mossie bite, nothing compared to the ones I get back in Somerset. Just come out, enjoy your holiday, and for the children take care.
Lesley Jean

[cowboy]

.Fear sells news papers and on TV, it builds ratings. It all depends on what you want to sell (mosquito repllent?).

From what I hear, you are more likely to die on the flight to and from the Faro aiirport .

And you are even more likely to die on any given road in Portugal.

we have small children and any thing like this gives one a bit of a jitter.

I understand your concern, but the mosquitos are small risk compared to the risks you are taking to get to CVO in the first place, not to mention the risks you'll take to return home.

It all depends on how you look at it. Everything is a risk...even having children.

[cowboy]

WHAT GOOD IS SITTING ALONE IN YOUR ROOM?
COME HEAR THE MUSIC PLAY.
LIFE IS A CABARET, OLD CHUM.
COME TO THE CABARET.

PUT DOWN THE KNITTING,
THE BOOK AND THE BROOM,
TIME FOR A HOLIDAY.
LIFE IS A CABARET, OLD CHUM.
COME TO THE CABARET.

[digger]

........................
Come taste the wine
Come hear the band
e la de da.............

[Ellie]

Woke up with big mossie bite on cheek this morning..
Loads of things flying round my bedroom last night..my screen was covered in tiny black things...and something nasty-looking was lurking on my pillow.all wings and sting..so didnt take a chance and SWATTED it!!
Outside I have swarms of hoverflies(harmless& eat aphids)...and black plums covered in wasps!!(forgot to put jamjar traps out)..
Ellie ..signing -in from tropical..exotic..Lincolnshire

[Gerry Cullen]

And tell me ellie would this just be a normal wed nite ...or....what?

[SLBIRCH]

Am sure the two irish people who contracted this desease will not agree with it being a scare just to sell papers.

In the past years we have been to CVO we have seen mosquitos, but now Airconditioning is in most apartments now, is do does rare. I have a very low ammune system in my arm do to an operation, and whilst I was in Portugal this year I sprayed up every night. You can get sprays from ASDA in the UK that don't smell. Best to be wise than sorry.