What Every Traveler Needs To Know About Zika This Summer

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The INSIDER Summary:

• Officials in Brazil have announced the Zika crisis has ended in the country.
• Even though it's gone in Brazil, Zika is present in Florida and Texas, and some public health officials have already begun bracing for the spread of the virus.
• The CDC recommends visitors in areas with Zika wear long-sleeved clothing, apply mosquito repellent, and use a mosquito net at night.

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Officials from Brazil announced last week that the crisis over the Zika virus had ended in the country: The number of cases of Zika in Brazil this year dropped by 95 percent between January and April compared to the same period in 2016, and no deaths were reported, compared to eight deaths last year.

But while Zika is declining in Brazil, that doesn't mean it's going away, particularly as we head into summer, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Transmission from Latin America

Brazil was at the epicenter of this latest epidemic that began in 2015, and last week's announcement was seen as a major victory. This upcoming summer will be a crucial moment in fighting Zika's spread, however, as the damp, muggy climates — particularly along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. — offer the right environment for the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

“This summer will depend on what’s going on in countries like Brazil because Zika is not endemic here,” Janet McAllister, an entomology researcher with the CDC, told Travel + Leisure. We’re going to see it brought into the country again, and we are already seeing travelers returning with Zika.”

The virus is relatively harmless to most people, and only about 1 in 5 who contract it experience flu-like symptoms. However, Zika be extremely dangerous for pregnant women, symptoms or not, and has been linked to microcephaly in the unborn child, a condition in which the infant's head is abnormally small and brain is underdeveloped.

Zika quickly spread across Latin America and into the Caribbean islands in 2015 and 2016 before making its way up to parts of the southern U.S., where populations of the Aedes aegyptimosquito have started to rebound, according to McAllister.

Multiple factors for viral spread

If people travel to or from Zika-prone countries in South America and return with the virus to cities like New Orleans where Aedes aegypti are present, the local mosquitos can begin to carry it. If high rates of transmission are then coupled with heavy rainfall, the spread of the disease could be rapid, McAllister said.

“You have to have that combination,” she noted.

Zika is present in Florida and Texas, and some public health officials have already begun bracing for the spread of the virus. The Gulf coast is particularly susceptible to the virus and should be more closely monitored, according to researchers.

“Our analyses indicate that the health and economic burden of even low attack rates of Zika in the continental U.S. would be both substantial and enduring,” wrote researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

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The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. may go up this summer, but that does not necessarily mean that the virus is spreading more rapidly: The CDC issued new guidelines for doctors, recommending tests for Zika for a greater number of people, as well as more frequent testing of pregnant women, meaning older cases could also be identified.

How to protect yourself

Travelers to regions affected by Zika can take precautions to prevent contracting the disease by protecting themselves against mosquitos. The CDC recommends visitors to areas with Zika wear long-sleeved clothing, apply mosquito repellant, and use a mosquito net at night.

They can also avoid places with standing water where mosquitos often breed. The disease is sexually transmitted, and public health officials recommend not having sex with people who might be infected, or using protection.

• Jess McHugh, Travel + Leisure

Read the original article on Travel + Leisure. Copyright 2017. Follow Travel + Leisure on Twitter.

Guide To Visiting Rio For The Olympics, From Safety To Samba #Rio2016,

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In this April 26, 2016 photo, the sun rises behind Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.... Read more

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — With the Olympics just a few weeks away, Brazil faces a litany of problems: an economy in freefall, the Zika virus and a political crisis with an impeached president. But for those brave — or foolhardy — enough to make the trip, Rio de Janeiro is a city rich with potential rewards. Broadcasters have already deemed the city's backdrop for the Summer Games the most telegenic ever. But no matter how good this teeming seaside metropolis — where the urban jungle and the literal jungle meet — looks on TV, footage simply can't compare with the experience of actually being here.

Here's a Q&A on tips for visiting Rio, from staying safe to samba parties:

A: With an estimated 85,000 police and soldiers patrolling the streets during the games — twice the security contingent in London in 2012 — Olympic and local officials have insisted Rio will be "the safest city on earth" during the Aug. 5-21 games. Still, violent crime is a fact of life in this city, starkly divided between haves and have nots, so it's best to keep a low profile.

For Cariocas, as Rio's 6 million residents are called, low-key dressing is de rigueur for both safety and practicality. Havaianas, the Brazilian flip-flop brand, are Rio's uncontested footwear of choice. And the city's golden-sand beaches make board shorts and T-shirts, or hot pants and tank tops, a uniform for rich and poor alike. (While Rio's Southern Hemisphere winters tend to be mild, thermometers can dip in August into what Cariocas consider the bone-chilling depths of the mid-60s, so pack a sweater or light jacket.)

Watches and jewelry not clearly made from plastic are best avoided, as is using cellphones in public or conspicuously carrying camera equipment. Electronics are extremely expensive in Brazil, and a smartphone can cost several months' worth of salary for locals, so it's best to keep them under wraps.

If you do get mugged, don't react or fight. Hand over your possessions calmly and without hesitation. It's only money and/or stuff. And no matter how much of a pain the ensuing nightmare of card cancellations proves, it's not worth getting injured.

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Q: Do people speak English?

A: In a word, no. Outside Olympic venues and high-end hotels and restaurants, most Cariocas only speak Portuguese, though they might know a few words of English or Spanish. On the other hand, most people are eager to help foreigners and will resort even to pantomime to get their point across.

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Q: What's for dinner?

A: If you go to one of the myriad "churrascaria" (shoe-hass-car-EE-ya) all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbeque joints, the answer is meat, meat and more meat. Roving waters brandishing spits stacked with cuts of prime beef, lamb chops, pork sausages and even wizened black chicken hearts will insist on refilling your plate till you verge on bursting.

For vegetarians or those recovering from a meat overdose, options are limited. Best bets include corner juice bars offering a cornucopia of freshly squeezed tropical fruit juices, as well as acai (ah-sa-EE) — a deep purple Amazonian palm berry that's frozen, blended and served slushy.

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Q: Is there public transportation?

A: The city's metro line is being extended to serve the beachfront Leblon neighborhood and reach the far-western Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, where Olympic Park is located. But the project is behind schedule and may not be finished in time for the games. Buses are confusing, packed, dangerous and generally best avoided. Cabs are plentiful and decently reliable — just make sure your cabby turns headlights on after dark. (Many won't.)

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Q: Besides sports, what is there to do in Rio during the games?

A: Plenty. And the good news is, the best things in Rio are free.

Rio was hard hit by the recession, with the economy shrinking last year by 4 percent, sending unemployment and inflation soaring. The nosedive of the local currency, the real, has made Rio much cheaper for visitors spending dollars or euros. But the cost of hotels and restaurants can still be shocking. Savvy travelers can staunch the bloodletting by taking advantage of the city's many free attractions:

—Sugarloaf Mountain: The sheer granite outcropping that presides over the waters of the Guanabara Bay will no doubt prove a breathtaking backdrop for the Olympic sailing races. But rather than just ogling the iconic rock, why not hike it? A guide is necessary to scale the Sugarloaf itself, but its stumpier twin, the Morro da Urca, is doable without help. A mud path winds through tropical vegetation to a summit with peerless views over the city's dense patchwork of towers, hillside "favela" slums and mist-enshrouded rainforest.

—Sunset at Arpoador: Take in the sun's spectacular nightly performance as it sinks into the Atlantic from atop the Arpoador rock formation in between Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches. The crowd there raucously applauds the glittering show, night after night.

—Pedra do Sal: Experience a "roda de samba," or live samba music, at the birthplace of Brazil's most famous musical genre. Monday nights bring hordes of aficionados to this former slave market in the Gamboa region of historic downtown for an open-air dance party.

—Centro: Rio's beaches tend to steal the thunder, but the Centro downtown region, where the city got its start 451 years ago, is a treasure trove of colonial-era churches and historic monuments. Perhaps the most stunning among them is the Mosteiro Sao Bento, a Baroque church and working monastery where monks perform Gregorian chants during Sunday Mass. Get there early to snag a seat. Also in Centro is the Portuguese Royal Reading Room, a 19th century gem of soaring jacaranda hardwood bookshelves and stained glass windows, tucked into the newly rehabilitated Praca Tirdentes.

By JENNY BARCHFIELD

Olympic Officials Claim No Major Zika Virus Risk For Tourists, Athletes

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

Representatives for the Rio Olympics committee pointed to research carried out by health officials that assures athletes and visitors that the Zika virus will not be a major risk when the Olympic Games commence in August.

According to NBCNews.com, health officials for Rio 2016 say the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—known to carry the Zika virus—will be less active during the Olympic Games due to the cooler and drier weather in the region.

“It is worth knowing that the incidence of the mosquito that transmits the virus is extremely low in August and September, which is winter in Brazil and the period in which the Rio 2016 Games will take place,” Rio 2016's chief medical officer Dr. Joao Grangeiro said in a statement. “Furthermore, we have conducted 44 test events this year, the majority of them in the summer, the peak period for Zika. With more than 7,000 athletes, 8,000 volunteers and 2,000 staff participating, there was not a single case of contamination (infection).”

A recent study done at the University of Sao Paulo indicates that the Olympics “would result in no more than 16 additional cases of the disease.” In addition, the World Health Organization reported that moving or changing the 2016 Olympic Games would not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus.

The Olympic committee is also working with locals to control the mosquito population, including daily patrols to eliminate standing water near the areas where the Games will take place. Officials still state that the best course of action is for visitors to protect themselves with longer clothing and insect repellents.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization are still advising pregnant women or women thinking about becoming pregnant to avoid areas affected by the Zika virus due to the potential birth defects the disease can cause.

As of July 10th elite athletes including Jordan Spieth, LeBron James, Rory Mcllroy and Jason Day have withdrawn due to Zika concerns. 

By IMPACTING TRAVEL | DONALD WOOD 

Travelore News: 150 Health Professionals Call For Olympics In Rio To Be Postponed Due To Zika

(Photo: Marcelo Sayao, EPA)

A group of 150 doctors, scientists and bioethicists have written a letter to the World Health Organization calling for the Rio Olympics to be postponed or moved because of concerns of the spread of the Zika virus.

The letter cites concerns about further spread of the virus and developing information about it in calling for the Games to be delayed or moved. The letter writers questioned whether the WHO is rejecting alternatives of when and where the Games should be held because of a conflict of interest with the International Olympic Committee.

“Currently, many athletes, delegations, and journalists are struggling with the decision of whether to participate in the Rio 2016 Games,” the letter states. “We agree with theU.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendation that workers should “Consider delaying travel to areas with active Zika virus transmission”. If that advice were followed uniformly, no athlete would have to choose between risking disease and participating in a competition that many have trained for their whole lives.”

THE LETTER: Read the note sent the World Health Organization

The letter notes the concern for global health, citing the possibility of Olympics travelers acquiring the Zika virus in Rio and then returning home, especially to currently unaffected areas.

“It is unethical to run the risk, just for Games that could proceed anyway, if postponed and/or moved,” the letter states.

The letter writers include Amir Attaran, a University of Ottawa professor who specializes in public health and wrote earlier this month in Time that the Olympics should be moved or postponed.

Dr. Arthur Caplan, the director of the division of medical ethics at New York University, co-authored the letter, as did NYU professor Lee Ingel and Christopher Gaffney from the University of Zurich.

As of early Friday afternoon, the letter had 150 signatures from doctors, scientists and medical ethicists around the globe.

The WHO responded to the letter on Friday afternoon.

"Based on current assessment, cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus. Brazil is one of almost 60 countries and territories which to-date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes. People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health and travel advice."

In February, the WHO declared the Zika virus and international public health emergency. The mosquito-borne virus has spread to 58 countries and territories, mostly in Central and South America. It has been shown to cause microcephaly, a birth defect that causes babies to be born with smaller-than-normal heads and developmental delays, and linked to Guillain-Barre, a neurological condition that causes paralysis.

Brazil has been one of the countries hardest hit by the virus, which exhibits relatively mild symptoms in the 20 percent of those infected who experience them.

Olympic organizers have been patrolling the venues for months, seeking to remove standing water where the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the virus can breed. They have also cited the timing, with the Games occurring during Rio’s winter, as likely to lessen the threat of the spread of the virus.

The CDC has advised pregnant women not to travel to affected areas. For those who do travel, the CDC has advised wearing long sleeves and pants, treating clothing with permethrin, using insect repellant and staying in air-conditioned environments.

The letter asks the WHO to reconsider its advice on the Rio Olympics for several reasons, saying:

-- While individual risk is low, the risk to a population is “undeniably high”

-- Rio de Janeiro is highly affected by Zika

-- Rio’s health system has been weakened, including by city funding cuts against mosquito-borne disease

-- Because the Aedes aegypti mosquito had previously been eradicated from Rio that holding the Olympics in the presence of these mosquitos “is a choice and not a necessity”

-- The summer season in the northern hemisphere is also relevant to the course of the epidemic The letter cites a 2010 memorandum of understanding between the WHO and the IOC, which has not been released, as evidence of a conflict of interest and suggests a change in leadership at the WHO, which is led by director Dr.Margaret Chan, is necessary to restore credibility.

“WHO must revisit the question of Zika and postponing and/or moving the Games,” the letter concludes. “We recommend that WHO convene an independent group to advise it and the IOC in a transparent, evidence-based process in which science, public health, and the spirit of sport come first. Given the public health and ethical consequences, not doing so is irresponsible.

Source: Rachel Axon, USA TODAY Sports

Travelore Update: Zika Has Spread To 43 Countries

 

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Here's where Zika has spread around the world.

This article originally appeared on time.com.
The Zika virus is continuing to spread around the globe, as health responders scramble to contain outbreaks and understand the effects of the virus, including serious brain defects like microcephaly. The World Health Organization recently warned that there is potential for a “marked increase” in the number of infections, including in Europe and the U.S. After all, as experts like to say, the mosquito knows no border. To understand the scope of the virus, we’ve compiled all the countries that have been hit with Zika so far during this outbreak.

CDC

7 Zika-Free Destinations To Travel To Right Now

With each new warning about the dangers of the Zika virus, it may be tempting to postpone your trip to Central or South America, or the Caribbean. But keep those vacation days blocked off on your calendar: All three locales are home to at least some countries not currently affected by the outbreak, making them a safe choice for worried travelers. (Also worth keeping in mind: The virus is expected to spread throughout the U.S. anyway.) Check out these hot spots, which are all Zika free as of today, and keep an eye out on the CDC's website for updates. 

 

 St. Barts

If you’re looking to splurge, St. Barthélemy (a.k.a. St. Barts) is the place to do it. This glamorous French island boasts some of the finest resorts and restaurants in the Caribbean. From amazing private plunge pools to the latest fashion in the boutiques of capital city Gustavia, it's no wonder that this is where the well-heeled come to play.

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Turks and Caicos

This country, made up of seven main islands and 40 smaller isles and cays, boasts some of the best beaches in the Caribbean, including Grace Bay Beach, which consistently ranks in the top ten beaches in the world. Divers will have a blast exploring the expansive reef on the north shore of Provo, as well as the Grand Turk Wall's many shipwrecks. Nature lovers can kayak among osprey, mangroves, and stingrays. Also an option: Sitting back on a powdery, white-sand beach and doing absolutely nothing.

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Belize

The only country in Central America where English is the official language, Belize boasts the second-largest barrier reef in the world (it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which makes it a top spot for diving and snorkeling. Scuba divers in particular flock to the Great Blue Hole, where you can swim with sharks and other creatures in underground caves. If you’re interested in history or archeology, Belize is also home to Mayan ruins well worth exploring.

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Bermuda

With pink sand beaches and pastel-colored homes, Bermuda is a pristine island with a decidedly British feel. The beautifully preserved town of St. George, Britain’s oldest town in the New World, is a World Heritage Site that also happens to have world-class shopping. Looking to practice your swing? The island is known for its golf, boasting some of the most challenging—and scenic—courses in the world. Action junkies will also want to snorkel around the shipwrecks off Elbow Beach, and hit Bermuda's 22+ miles of bike trails.

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 Argentina

Argentina really does have something for everyone. Buenos Aires is one of the world's great food cities, according to Traveler readers. The famed Iguazu Falls—astounding at two miles wide and 250 feet high—makes nature lovers of city dwellers. In the southern part of Argentina, Patagonia has some of the best hiking and scenic trails in the world, while Mendoza's wine region will help soothe all those sore muscles.

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Grenada

Nicknamed the "Spice Island" (due to its nutmeg plantations), this Caribbean country consists of one main island, Grenada, and six smaller islands. It has beautiful beaches, ideal for snorkeling and diving. (Check out this undersea sculpture park in Moliniere Bay, if you want to see more than fish.) Two beaches worth visiting: Pingouin Beach, with soft white sand and views of St. George, a picturesque town with beautiful old churches, a historic fort, and shops; and Grand Anse, a resort area with turquoise waters and plenty of outdoor cafes.

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Uruguay

Head to Uruguay's interior and stay in an “estancia”—a working ranch —to experience gaucho life in the pampas. You'll get an insider’s look at how these famous cowboys ranch cattle and herd sheep in what are essentially the dude ranches of South America. Also head to the coast where the city’s capital, Montevideo, boasts a beautiful 19th-century opera house, Teatro Solís, on the outskirts of the old town, Ciudad Vieja, also rich with beautiful old churches, Art Deco buildings, and museums.

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 Written by Judy Koutsky 
www.cntraveler.com

'Scarier Than We Initially Thought:' CDC Sounds Warning On Zika Virus

Dr. Anne Schuchat, Principal Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institutes of Health (NIH), speak about the Zika virus during a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday.(Photo: SAUL LOEB, AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Public health officials said Monday they've learned a lot more about Zika since the White House asked Congress for  $1.9 billion to combat the mosquito-borne virus, and are increasingly concerned about its potential impact on the United States.
"Most of what we've learned is not reassuring," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought."
She said the virus has been linked to a broader array of birth defects throughout a longer period of pregnancy, including premature birth and blindness in addition to the smaller brain size caused by microcephaly. The potential geographic range of the mosquitoes transmitting the virus also reaches farther northward, with the Aedes aegypti species present in all or part of 30 states, not just 12. And it can be spread sexually, causing the CDC to update its guidance to couples.
And researchers still don't know how many babies of women infected with Zika will end up with birth defects, or what drugs and vaccines may be effective.
"This is a very unusual virus that we can't pretend to know everything about it that we need to know," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The assessment, delivered to reporters at the White House Monday, comes the week after the White House informed Congress it was moving more than $510 million previously earmarked for Ebola prevention toward Zika prevention efforts.

Congressional Republicans accused the White House of trying to "politicize" Zika. "We’re glad the administration has agreed to our request to use existing Ebola funds to address the Zika epidemic," said Doug Andes, a spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "If additional Zika resources are needed those funds could and should be addressed through the regular appropriations process."
"We can't just stop and wait for the money. If we don't get the money the president has asked for, we're not going to take it to the point we need," Fauci said. "When the president asked for $1.9 billion, we needed $1.9 billion."
The Centers for Disease Control announced Monday it was providing $3.9 million in emergency Zika funding to Puerto Rico. saying the number of cases there is doubling every week and could reach into the hundreds of thousands. The money will go to increased laboratory capacity.
"We are quite concerned about Puerto Rico, where the virus is spreading throughout the island," Schuchat said. "We think there could be hundreds of thousands of cases of Zika virus in Puerto Rico and perhaps hundreds of affected babies."

Source:  Gregory Korte, USA TODAY

The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Adds Eight Countries To Zika Virus Travel Guidelines

 There are no vaccines or treatments available for Zika. | File photo

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently added new countries to its travel guidelines concerning the Zika virus, warning people who travel to these regions that the virus is at large.

The countries include Barbados, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Saint Martin and Samoa. These are in addition to the previously added countries: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana,  Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Surname and Venezuela.

Health officials have found it difficult to determine the exact regions where Zika is most likely to be transmitted, as these areas and likelihoods will change as the virus spreads.

The CDC will continue to update its travel alerts as more information is revealed. Travelers should be aware of the risks they are taking when they travel to certain regions, which may also have higher chances of chikungunya and dengue viruses. It is most likely that people who contract these diseases will be infected while they are traveling, only showing symptoms after they return home.

Mosquitoes that transmit these three viruses are more aggressive, biting people during daytime hours. These mosquitoes also tend to live outdoors nearby people or indoors inside people’s residences.

There are no vaccines or treatments available for Zika.

CDC: Travel OK To high-Elevation Cities In Zika Countries

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FILE - In this Tuesday, March 8, 2016 file photo, a health agent scoops water from a boat docked at... Read more

 (AP) — The U.S. government revised its Zika travel warnings Friday, saying it's OK for pregnant women to travel to Mexico City and other places at high elevation in outbreak regions.

The kind of mosquito that spreads the Zika virus is rare at higher elevations because of the lack of humidity and other conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infections from Zika or the related dengue virus haven't been seen high up.

Since mid-January, the health agency has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to areas with Zika outbreaks because the virus may be linked to a surge of birth defects in Brazil. The list has grown to about three dozen destinations, most in Latin America or the Caribbean.

Friday's revision excludes any part of those countries above 6,500 feet (2,000 meters).

CDC officials insisted science drove the change, but acknowledged there were concerns that overly broad travel warnings might unnecessarily hamper trade and tourism.

"I suspect several countries will be quite pleased" by the revision, said Dr. Martin Cetron, who leads CDC's division of global migration and quarantine.

Five of the countries have large cities or sizeable areas at high altitudes, including Mexico City, Bolivia's La Paz and Colombia's Bogota.

Mexico Health Department's Dr. Cuitlahuac Ruiz Matuz said authorities there had objected to a blanket travel advisory for the country before it was issued, and had lobbied CDC for a change.

"Now they are correcting things a little bit," Ruiz said.

He argued that the CDC should be even more specific and report where Zika has been detected. There have been 143 confirmed cases in Mexico, 128 in the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. The remaining 15 are spread over six other states.

Besides the capital, Mexico has other large cities such as Puebla, Toluca and Guanajuato and the popular tourist destination of San Cristobal de las Casas at elevations above 6,500 feet.

Experts think most people infected with Zika virus don't get sick. And those that do usually develop mild symptoms — fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. But the unexpected numbers of birth defects in Zika outbreak areas of Brazil have raised alarms.

An estimated 40 million U.S. travelers went to Zika outbreak destinations last year, including about a half million pregnant women, CDC officials estimate. The CDC advises all travelers to Zika areas to use insect repellent and take other steps to avoid mosquito bites.

By MIKE STOBBE 

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AP writer E. Eduardo Castillo in Mexico City contributed to this report.

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Online:

CDC maps: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/

An Informed Traveler Is A Safer Traveler

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GRAPHIC

Air Travel Between U.S. and Zika-Affected Areas

Air travel has been a factor in the spread of Zika virus, but some countries are better at detecting and preventing the spread of diseases.

Which sounds like the most dangerous way to spend your next vacation?

1. Going to Brazil, epicenter of the Zika virus, for the Olympics.

2. Visiting Istanbul, where eight German tourists died in a terrorist attack last month.

3. Taking a road trip through Thailand.

4. Staying home to work on a long-put-off home improvement project.

It’s tricky, but it’s not a trick question: There is no wrong answer. The way that you measure risk is based on complex factors, including personal ones. Mosquitoes may love you, terrorism may have touched you directly, your husband may be a terrible driver, and that project may include asbestos removal.

The number of Americans making such calculations is growing: We’re traveling abroad more often and to more places, perhaps because our globalized world — Starbucks in 65 countries! — seems smaller and safer. Until it isn’t. The Zika virus is spreading through the Americas not long after chikungunya infected thousands of American travelers there and Ebola ravaged West Africa. It’s not just disease: Recent terrorist attacks targeting tourists (Tunisia, Egypt, Istanbul) and tourist areas (Paris) have also made such decisions more wrenching.

“There’s a lot going on in the world,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA, which sells travel insurance. “There’s a lot of noise out there about the dangers of traveling.”

Yet we’re generally terrible at adjusting the volume.

“How scared or not you are is an emotion, not a statistic,” said David Ropeik, a risk consultant and the author of “How Risky Is It, Really?” As fans of haunted houses will attest, risk and being scared are two different things. But Mr. Ropeik’s point is that in the battle between your gut and your brain, your gut will win. One way to make sensible choices as a traveler is to nudge your gut toward rationality by feeding it accurate information, which is easier said than done.

Zika and terrorism are the latest high-decibel threats. But there are also some deafening silences. For example, you hear very little about the leading cause of nonnatural deaths among Americans abroad: motor vehicle accidents.

According to the latest figures available from the State Department, 223 Americans died abroad in car, bus or motorcycle accidents between July 2014 and June 2015. Other causes of death (homicide, suicide and drowning) also far outweigh terrorism. Sixteen Americans died of “terrorist action” in that period, all but four in places you already know not to go: Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and Somalia.

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So before you even think about terrorism, you may want to check road safety in countries you hope to visit. A ranking of countries by car crash deaths per capita, based on a 2014 report by the respected University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, shows that among the 10 most dangerous are two beloved destinations: Thailand and the Dominican Republic.

This is not to suggest that you should rush out and cancel your trip to Punta Cana. There, as in many places in the Dominican Republic, travelers tend to stay in resorts, and it is extraordinarily rare to die in a car accident while lying on the beach. As for Thailand, maybe you’d consider a less ambitious road trip, or domestic flights, though I’m not convinced that driving there is much more dangerous than renting a car in any country where you drive on the “wrong” side of the street. (A New Zealand police officer I met in a rural inn told me one of his main duties was to rush to crashes caused by Americans driving on the right.)

Even staying in the United States doesn’t always protect you. Repeated studies showed that after the Sept. 11 attacks, many Americans opted out of flying and drove instead, resulting in at least hundreds of additional road deaths. In hindsight, it would have been better to fly. But at that time, no one could say for sure if more airplanes would be hijacked, and fear was running high. “Not knowing is vulnerability and powerlessness and that raises precaution instinctively,” Mr. Ropeik said.

A similar sort of uncertainty is playing out now with the Zika virus, helped out by dramatic reports. Some people I know have even conflated the virus’s potential danger to pregnant women — it is suspected of causing a birth defect called microcephaly — with the relatively mild illness it causes in the overwhelming majority of those who suffer symptoms at all.

The antidote is good information. Travelers should seek out information specifically for them like the website of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which cautions pregnant women against travelingbut restricts its warnings to most others to preventing mosquito bites, rather than changing travel plans. The State Department has yet to issue any travel warnings about Zika (nor does it have any current terrorism-related warnings in Europe, though it mentions Istanbul in its Turkey warning, principally dealing with the southeast part of the country).

Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the C.D.C., told me that even the warning for pregnant women is based on suspected rather than proven links. “In an era of uncertainty,” he said, “it’s reasonable to take a cautious approach and step back, rather than take a cavalier approach that the consequences won’t happen, and miss an opportunity to protect individuals.” But “you don’t want to swing so far the other way and say from now on no one should go to these places,” he said.

CreditDavid Plunkert

Numbers are often misreported, which can undermine popular understanding of risk. Over 5,000 cases of microcephaly had been reported in Brazil since January 2015. That sounds scary. But a deeper look tells a more complex story. The government investigated 1,345 of those cases, and found 837 were misdiagnoses. That means incidences of microcephaly are maybe a third of what is largely being reported, and it is unknown how many would have occurred without Zika. And Zika cases as a whole have been mostly concentrated in a few states of northeast Brazil, far from Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic venues, and anecdotally at least, mostly in poor neighborhoods where the Aedes aegypti mosquito thrives and repellent use is less common. That is a public health crisis and perhaps a social justice issue, but a far lesser risk to most travelers, especially nonpregnant ones.

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Here we also have a deafening silence. Unmentioned in much of the coverage of Zika is that last year, 1.5 million Brazilians caught dengue fever, which is transmitted by the same mosquito but causes far more serious symptoms: over 800 died. This year has seen new outbreaks. So if you’re a man or nonpregnant woman more scared of Zika than dengue, it’s too late: You’ve already been infected by the news media.

If that is the case and you decide to stay home, keep in mind that carries its own risks. “We are more scared of the unfamiliar than the familiar,” Mr. Ropeik said. Yet we run long- and short-term risks every day: eating fast food, walking under a crane and crossing busy streets, not to mention drinking water tainted with lead.

Arthur Frommer, the octogenarian guidebook guru, has another to add: “I have recently been struck by the fact that you encounter greater danger in the U.S. from gun violence than the popular destinations to which people travel.” He noted that Tim Fischer, a former deputy prime minister of Australia, recently suggested that his country issue a travel warning about the widespread prevalence of guns in the United States; the government did not, but does tell Australians on its Smartraveller site: “You should be vigilant to the possibility of gun crime in all parts of the U.S.”

Some Americans would argue that the United States is in fact safer because of the wide presence of guns; they might logically choose to defer travel to Australia.

Instead of holding off on a trip — or becoming a hermit — the best way to stay safe is to reduce risk on the road. That may be by using mosquito repellent religiously at the Olympics, taking public transport in New Zealand, and spending less time in big European cities and more in small towns. Another way to knock risk down a notch is to mitigate the impact of potential crises by, say, buying medical evacuation insurance. Keeping a list of top hospitals and emergency numbers at the ready helps as well. Allianz’s free TravelSmart app puts that information in your phone, though in developing countries I would check JustLanded.com for the number of a private ambulance service as well.

Once you have assessed potential travel risks, you should compare them with potential travel rewards. That can vary greatly among individuals. Exhibit A: “Travel to me is too vital, too important a part of civilized life that I feel we would give up too much by not traveling for fear of terrorism to France, Belgium and other destinations,” Mr. Frommer said. But for less gung-ho travelers, any added risk could tip the scales and land them at the municipal pool or on the local golf course.

The final thing you have to fear is fear itself. If after careful deliberation you’ve decided that the risks are slim, but you’re still terrified, then consider staying put. Not because of the risk to your health, but the certainty that you’ll be too nervous to appreciate your travels.

Correction: March 6, 2016 

An article last Sunday about minimizing risk while traveling misstated the name of an app from the insurance company Allianz. It is TravelSmart, not Smart Traveler.

By SETH KUGEL, www.nytimes.com

A version of this article appears in print on February 28, 2016, on page TR1 of the New York edition with the headline: The Antidote to Travel Anxiety: Information. Order Reprints