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

[Liberty Belle]

My goodness, everyone is tense the past few days.

Maybe gas prices have got everyone riled up.

 

[minkydog]

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.

Thank you for being the voice of reason on this thread. When I talk to friends from overseas(not ex-pats) they sometimes voice the same fears. They hear about an earthquake in California or hurricanes in Florida and they're not sure if they should still plan to go to St. Louis this summer. They watch NCIS or CSI on TV and assume that it's an accurate depiction of daily American life. I live in the metro Atlanta area and there are certainly areas of atlanta that I would be caught in , dead or alive. But that doesn't mean I don't want to live here. I just make sure I don't go to those places where crime is known to be high and I keep my wits about me. It's worked for me for 30 years, so far.

 

[wilderness01]

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.

Thank you.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

OP how is your daughter doing?

Ive gotten to know ALOT of lovely Mexicans as I've been through the process to work at the World Show Case in Epcot. Politely I have asked them about things I've heard about Mexico in the news and they are so nice and explain that there is more good than bad about Mexico and most areas are fine, but who is going to say "No crime in Veracruz today, people walked around happily." I agree with whomever stated about NYC and such. I saw more violence in Detroit than I ever saw when I went to Mexico. As another poster said you need to exercise caution. It is like people who fear flying due to plane crashes , car crashes are far more frequent just everyone isn't a headline news article like plane crashes.

To the OP update us on your daughter and I hope she gets better!!

 

[NikitaZee]

My goodness, everyone is tense the past few days.

Maybe gas prices have got everyone riled up.

That's just what I was thinking.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We are headed to Cozumel for 11 days, staying in a resort and renting a car. We go to MX every year. Sometimes Playa Del Carmen and sometimes Cozumel. We laugh when we read all the nonsense about how dangerous it is. If you haven't been to these locations and stayed more than a couple of hours off a cruise ship (which I have, also) you don't get the real feel of the area. I am excited to go back and no warnings from friends and family will change my mind. We have an American friend who lives in Cozumel. If it was that bad she would be the first back to the US. Crime happens everywhere in the States. Drugs are everywhere in the States.

 

[Besafe]

Mexico is a dangerous country to travel to period! A shocking 32% of all non-natural deaths of U.S. citizen’s outside this country occur in Mexico. Many of these deaths happen inside of the resorts and are a direct result of poor or nonexistent safety standards. To read tragic Mexico vacation death stories, as well as stories written by victims that “survived” their Mexico vacation, go to:
mexicovacationawareness.com

 

[SaraJayne]

We are headed to Cozumel for 11 days, staying in a resort and renting a car. We go to MX every year. Sometimes Playa Del Carmen and sometimes Cozumel. We laugh when we read all the nonsense about how dangerous it is. If you haven't been to these locations and stayed more than a couple of hours off a cruise ship (which I have, also) you don't get the real feel of the area. I am excited to go back and no warnings from friends and family will change my mind. We have an American friend who lives in Cozumel. If it was that bad she would be the first back to the US. Crime happens everywhere in the States. Drugs are everywhere in the States.

JEALOUS!! Have a fantastic time in Cozumel!

 

[taitai]

A shocking 32% of all non-natural deaths of U.S. citizen’s outside this country occur in Mexico.

What a useless statistic. Considering that over one-third (33%) of all US tourists abroad go to Mexico, it only makes sense that one-third of them unfortunate enough to die while traveling would do so in Mexico. This would be an interesting statistic if it was 50% or so. Then, it would be meaningful.

Even considering the vast number of Americans who live in Mexico and the vast number who go for alternative or other medical treatment, you would expect the number to be higher. This actually makes the case that Mexico is a fairly safe place.

To the OP, sorry your daughter is ill. Hope she is well soon. On all of our trips to Mexico, we have been fortunate to never get sick. We go again in a couple weeks and I cannot wait. Can taste the margaritas and fish tacos now.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

JEALOUS!! Have a fantastic time in Cozumel!

Ah gee, thanks!

 

[Lindabelle]

Thank you everyone who was concerned for my daughter. I called the doctor and am happy to say she is back to normal now. We really enjoyed visiting Mexico and felt safe when we were there. We especially enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of the Mexican people. I was very glad that we had the opportunity to learn about their culture and see their beautiful country.

 

[Molliday]

Mexico is a dangerous country to travel to period! A shocking 32% of all non-natural deaths of U.S. citizen’s outside this country occur in Mexico. Many of these deaths happen inside of the resorts and are a direct result of poor or nonexistent safety standards. To read tragic Mexico vacation death stories, as well as stories written by victims that “survived” their Mexico vacation, go to:
mexicovacationawareness.com

Give me a break.

I'll take my chances... as a matter of fact, I'll take them in Playa del Carmen in November, and I can't wait.

 

[Molliday]

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.

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.

Well then, I'm glad I'm safe in the United States where there are no drugs, and drug-related killings never happen! Whew!

Oh, wait...

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Thank you everyone who was concerned for my daughter. I called the doctor and am happy to say she is back to normal now. We really enjoyed visiting Mexico and felt safe when we were there. We especially enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of the Mexican people. I was very glad that we had the opportunity to learn about their culture and see their beautiful country.

Yay, glad to hear she's better. Thanks for checking back in. I'm glad you enjoyed Mexico. We love it, too.

 

[sparklynails23]

Thank you everyone who was concerned for my daughter. I called the doctor and am happy to say she is back to normal now. We really enjoyed visiting Mexico and felt safe when we were there. We especially enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of the Mexican people. I was very glad that we had the opportunity to learn about their culture and see their beautiful country.

Was there a large presence of armed police/guards, or is that just rumor?

 

[Anne34]

Was there a large presence of armed police/guards, or is that just rumor?

We were in Playa this past spring break. We had a police check point shortly after we left the airport to drive down to playa. They didn't stop our tourist shuttle at all --- just waved us through (but there were police with machine guns!). We did see a few police patrol the beach in ATV while in playa -- but I've also seen the same in California!

We love Mexico and would go again tomorrow!

 

[Molliday]

We were in Playa this past spring break. We had a police check point shortly after we left the airport to drive down to playa. They didn't stop our tourist shuttle at all --- just waved us through (but there were police with machine guns!). We did see a few police patrol the beach in ATV while in playa -- but I've also seen the same in California!

We love Mexico and would go again tomorrow!

People need to realize, this is nothing new. This has been going on as long as I can remember. I remember seeing this back in the 80's and 90's.

It is not uncommon to see heavily armed police patrolling the roads, and the beaches. We usually see them once as we leave the airport, and maybe we'll see them one other time during a week-long stay, either in town, or walking down the beaches.

 

[Jeanne B]

Was there a large presence of armed police/guards, or is that just rumor?

I just spent a week in Puerto Vallarta a few weeks ago and I saw no large presence of armed police, in fact, the only time I recall seeing a police officer was when I saw one helping a girl who'd run out of gas on a busy section of road. I'm sure the police were around, but definitely no large presence.

I felt incredibly safe in PV, whether during the day or at night, the people were very friendly and I would not hesitate to recommend it as a vacation spot...now there are certain parts of Mexico I wouldn't go to right now, just as there are certain places in the states that I wouldn't go to, but it's unfortunate that so many people instantly write off Mexico because of what they hear on the news...how many murders do we have in the U.S. on a daily basis?

 

[ols386]

People need to realize, this is nothing new. This has been going on as long as I can remember. I remember seeing this back in the 80's and 90's.

It is not uncommon to see heavily armed police patrolling the roads, and the beaches. We usually see them once as we leave the airport, and maybe we'll see them one other time during a week-long stay, either in town, or walking down the beaches.

Yes, when we were there back in the late 90s, we drove from our resort in Cancun to X-Caret, and when we crossed a border, we were stopped by police or military people who carried machine-guns. We must have been passing from one 'state' (or whatever they're called) into another, and it was a check-point. They spoke Spanish and it didn't seem like they spoke English, but it seemed like they were being polite to us.

 

[mommasita]

Thank you everyone who was concerned for my daughter. I called the doctor and am happy to say she is back to normal now. We really enjoyed visiting Mexico and felt safe when we were there. We especially enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of the Mexican people. I was very glad that we had the opportunity to learn about their culture and see their beautiful country.

Glad to hear is she is better

We were in Cancun last week, and had an AMAZING time. We did not venture off the resort, as we were there to relax, and get away from winter. We have traveled a LOT, and often felt nervous, etc. Not this week, not one minute did we feel anything less than 100% safe. We were treated like royalty.

I only saw a police presence at the airport, but I see that here also. Totally normal.

I would go back in a heartbeat, and we are already talking about when.