3 Reasons Zika Shouldn’t Stop You From Sending Your Kid to a Summer Camp

Few Americans had heard about Zika until October last year. Life was good. Then the sky fell in a flash. A little-known virus went beserk in Brazil; affecting many pregnant women and deforming hundreds of newborns in that country. Things went downhill so quickly that in a matter of a few weeks, hundreds of thousands of people were affected. The World Health Organization (WHO) took notice, sprang into action and declared the spread of the Zika virus a global health emergency. It was already late.

Some 1.5 million people had been affected in Brazil alone and the virus had spread to 30 countries—including the United States—when the WHO released its statement on Zika. Although many national governments have taken preventive measures to stem the spread of the virus, people remain wary.

The flow of tourists to Brazil has taken a hit, the State Department has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to South America and near home in New Jersey (NJ) many parents are wondering if it will be safe to send their children off to a summer camp in NJ in the middle of this year. Although the  concerns are out of care, I think those worries should not come in the way of your children’s growth.

Summer camps in NJ provide kids with once-in-a-year opportunities where they can meet other children, develop friendships, partake in STEM activities, learn leadership skills and practice being independent. All of this helps your children grow as responsible and successful adults. A virus like Zika—especially when the guidelines to prevent its spread are public—should not scare you into taking away such growth opportunities from your children.

In this blog, I will share with you three reasons that will try to ease some of your parental concerns and convince you to let your little ones join a kids’ summer program this year:

Zika Epidemic May Subsidize by Summer

Right now, everyone is concerned about Zika because there is no vaccine available. However, researchers in many countries are working around the clock to develop a treatment. It is very likely that they will come up with a medication by the time summer camps in NJ kick off.

Even if it does not happen, we will know a lot more about Zika and many new ways to protect your children from it.

Zika Prevention is not Difficult

Mosquitoes spread Zika. A way to guard yourself against the virus is to either kill all the mosquitoes around you or prevent mosquito bites. Both are doable. Removing standing water, wearing long-sleeved shirts, using window and door screens and sleeping under a mosquito bed are some simple ways to protect you and your kids from Zika. Many camps will follow these steps to keep your kids safe.

Zika is not Fatal and not Likely to Become an Epidemic in the U.S.

Fever, rash and pain in the joints are common Zika symptoms. They are mild and visible in only 20 percent of people affected with the virus. The remaining 80 percent do not even sense a thing. To top it, the Centres for Disease Control states in a release that while “we may eventually see Zika cases that originate in the U.S., the virus most likely would not become epidemic.” In another release it says that “Zika is not something most of us in the U.S. should panic about.”

Summary
Do not let a virus spoil your children’s summer. Send them away to a camp where can grow and learn. By June, most summer camps in NJ will have taken preventive measures against Zika and the virus itself may have vanished from public memory and people’s bodies.