We went to Mexico last week and came home sick! What do I do?

[mdsoccermom]

That travel alert issued in 2010 mentions NOTHING about the Yucatan and many other parts of the country. There are many places safe to travel. Just exercise reasonable precautions as one should always do.

 

[phorsenuf]

That travel alert issued in 2010 mentions NOTHING about the Yucatan and many other parts of the country. There are many places safe to travel. Just exercise reasonable precautions as one should always do.

Isn't the Yucatan in Mexico?

 

[ols386]

Isn't the Yucatan in Mexico?

Yes. Isn't the Yucatan where Cancun is located?

 

[phorsenuf]

Yes. Isn't the Yucatan where Cancun is located?

Then what am I missing by that post?

 

[ols386]

Then what am I missing by that post?

I'm not sure. If Mexico was on that list, then I would think that would include the Yucatan, which is part of Mexico.

 

[amg35]

Then what am I missing by that post?

Really? Okay, not all of Mexico is a killingmachinedeathtrap where you will most certainly die.

Just parts.

 

[phorsenuf]

That travel alert issued in 2010 mentions NOTHING about the Yucatan and many other parts of the country. There are many places safe to travel. Just exercise reasonable precautions as one should always do.

Which is in Mexico.

I'm not sure. If Mexico was on that list, then I would think that would include the Yucatan, which is part of Mexico.

Mexico was on the list. I guess that's why 'm confused.

 

[wilderness01]

No reason to be confused. Yes the Yucatan, as you know, is part of Mexico.

If you feel unsafe, don't go. No big deal. I have gone, will go again and feel perfectly safe.

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

I'm a travel agent. I book families all the time to Mexico with no problem at all. It's one of my best sellers. There is crime in some measure everywhere one travels. But, to condemn an entire very large country because of pockets of severe violence IS stupid.

I agree with this. My husband and I have gone to Mexico 4 times, to the Yucatan and we never feared anything. We never had any problem with violence anywhere near us and we've gone into local neighborhoods every time.

 

[Kae]

My DS just got back from a business trip to AZ. He had the EXACT symptoms the OP described. It was a flu virus not covered by the shot. It took him several days to get over it. He's been back home a week and he's been fine.

.

Flu shot is for respiratory type flu, not stomach type flu.

Kae

 

[Megan_J]

I feel sorry for the daughter because my mother would have taken me right to the doctor instead of asking a message board for advise. And on the topic of Mexico...I personally wouldn't go there, because the violence is spreading and the government is pretty much owned by the drug cartels.

 

[shortbun]

Some of you folks would be afraid of your shadow. The drug cartel activity in Mexico has not been in the Yucatan. You should familiarize yoursselves with geography. When there is an earthquake in California, it doesn't mean New Orleans is dangerous or having aftershocks. That is the geographical equal to comparing west coast Mexico with the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. Would you be afraid to travel to North Dakota because of gang violence in Miami? This Chicken Little the sky is falling thing is something you have been trained to feel but you should examine the truth versus reality here. When I go on vacation in the Outer Banks, there is a Homeland Security danger warning notice at the ferry terminal exit on Ocracoke Island. Hello, someone is trying to scare you and it's working. We take pic of that sign every year surrounded by seagulls which is the most dangerous time of the day for that sign...lol. Anyway, lighten up. Did you avoid vacationing in Honolulu last year because of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?
Maybe you did. You guys really need to look at a map. All of Africa is not dangerous because of a civil war in the Sudan. oh, nevermind.

 

[livie1205]

I hate to say it but I agree!! In NO WAY will you ever see a post from me asking if I should take my kids to the dr.....ever.If I went to another country (or even stayed in this one) and one of my kids were that sick they would be at the dr right away...prob faster if we have left the country...my dh would be lucky if we asked HIM about it on the way out the door!

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

I'm not sure why anyone would ridicule the OP for asking a question or for going to Mexico with her daughter. Both are pretty ridiculous in my mind.

Of course OP will take her daughter to the doctor, but FYI U.S. doctors are not the best about diagnosing and treating things they don't see often in the U.S. and I thought it was a good idea to get some feedback first and have some ideas about what it could be before heading to the doctor. (For instance, we have had several co-workers that have been back in the U.S. when they started having malaria symptoms and U.S. hospitals freak out and hardly know what to do when if they were here they would have simply been given a malaria treatment, possibly an IV [depending how severe it was], and then sent home without much fuss.)

And, to say that because the U.S. has travel warnings in a country means that you shouldn't visit it at all is absurd. The U.S. very easily puts travel warnings out even when there is little to no danger, just to be cautious. I live in a country that constantly has travel warnings...I must be a horroble Mom.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Which is in Mexico.




Mexico was on the list. I guess that's why 'm confused.

Did you actually read the alert? The State Department issues an alert for a country, and it's up to the traveler to actually see what they are talking about. The alert for Mexico is very detailed and specific about the areas to avoid. It also talks about the millions of visitors who visit the country with no incident and it says resort areas don't see the level of crime as those areas near the border and near drug cartel routes. The Yucatan falls into that safe area.

Saying you won't visit Mexico at all because of something that happens in only certain areas is like saying you won't visit New York because of something that happened in California.

 

[mckryan]

Some of you folks would be afraid of your shadow. The drug cartel activity in Mexico has not been in the Yucatan.

I beg to differ with this statement. We were in Costa Maya in August and there were Mexican army vehicles patrolling the road along the beach. There had been reports of drug-runner boats speeding up and dropping off people and drugs.

 

[bdcp]

Flu shot is for respiratory type flu, not stomach type flu.

Kae

Duh, I know that. I am very well aware of the differences and always tell people that throwing up is NOT THE FLU. The point is there are viruses going around and you can get them anywhere. You can throw up with the respiratory flu when you have a fever, which he did.

Not every illness someone catches while traveling out of the country is a parasite or a strange foreign illness.

My son had body aches, cold symptoms and THREW UP, had diarrhea and was dizzy as well. He was working in AZ for 10 days and several people had had the same thing and were told by their doctor it was a form of the flu not covered by the flu shot.

 

[phorsenuf]

Did you actually read the alert? The State Department issues an alert for a country, and it's up to the traveler to actually see what they are talking about. The alert for Mexico is very detailed and specific about the areas to avoid. It also talks about the millions of visitors who visit the country with no incident and it says resort areas don't see the level of crime as those areas near the border and near drug cartel routes. The Yucatan falls into that safe area.

Saying you won't visit Mexico at all because of something that happens in only certain areas is like saying you won't visit New York because of something that happened in California.

well, I just posted what was on their site. And for the record I never said I would not travel to Mexico. I'd go on a cruise there but not stray far off the beaten path.

 

[MoniqueU]

I know someone living in Cancun. There are drug cartell killings happening there. A few people did get shot and killed there earlier this week. I have been to that area and didn't feel unsafe at the time but things have and will continue to ger worse even in resort areas. We have resort areas here on the west coast and part of mexico I have been in that aren't in the tourist books. I did have plans to hit one or two of those areas but crossing the border with my kids seems foolish to me. Like I said earlier there are still pleasure boats off the coast of somalia. Not everyone will end up kidnapped, that doesn't family that said make the danish that sailed down there there and got themselcves and their 3 children kidnapped smart or responsible. I guess they were willing to take the risk. And yes you do stand a higher risk of catching a food or water born illness in mexico. That is nothing new. Almost anyone you know will tell you not to drink the water, that hasn't changed either and dates back as far as far as I can remember.

 

[mdsoccermom]

I know someone living in Cancun. There are drug cartell killings happening there. A few people did get shot and killed there earlier this week. I have been to that area and didn't feel unsafe at the time but things have and will continue to ger worse even in resort areas. We have resort areas here on the west coast and part of mexico I have been in that aren't in the tourist books. I did have plans to hit one or two of those areas but crossing the border with my kids seems foolish to me. Like I said earlier there are still pleasure boats off the coast of somalia. Not everyone will end up kidnapped, that doesn't family that said make the danish that sailed down there there and got themselcves and their 3 children kidnapped smart or responsible. I guess they were willing to take the risk. And yes you do stand a higher risk of catching a food or water born illness in mexico. That is nothing new. Almost anyone you know will tell you not to drink the water, that hasn't changed either and dates back as far as far as I can remember.

Were those tourist killings? Do you have a link or anything to those shootings in Cancun this week? Because I didn't see anything online about that, in either the regular news or travel news.