Imagine it -- a beach, a drink and a Christmas tree.
Sounds a little like paradise, right?
A lot of us get the urge to escape for a week or so around this time of year. After all, the holidays don't just bring cheer and good will - they bring snow, ice and wind. It's natural to want to spend your vacation days in a locale that's a bit more tropical.
However, I'd advise you to think twice before you book those tickets to Mexico or the Caribbean this year. You might avoid a winter cold by escaping to an island, but you could pick up something a lot more serious. Cholera, dengue and malaria - they've all been in the news recently because of unprecedented outbreaks.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic right now, for example, are hotbeds for cholera. To date, the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population has reported 60,240 cholera cases, which have resulted in 1,415 deaths. United Nations health officials predict the number of cholera cases in the earthquake-ravaged country will swell to 270,000. The Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti, has recently reported its seventh cholera case.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Costa Rica and Brazil have all reported cases of dengue fever. In Brazil, dengue has accounted for 592 deaths this year, which is twice as many as last year. Probable and confirmed cases of dengue in the Virgin Islands total 105. Also, it appears that the disease is spreading. At the beginning of November, Miami confirmed its first locally-acquired case of dengue.
In nearby Venezuela, a malaria outbreak recently killed 17 Amazonian villagers, including children, and affected 43 others.
If you've already scheduled your vacation to one of these places, or any of the surrounding areas, consult your doctor or check the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionwebsite for tips on how to protect yourself from infection.
