Getting Zika and other news.

This is Mike...
We have been somewhat disorganized the last few weeks so now it is time to play catch up on the blog. Not only were we dealing with our sick kitten but Elise started working at Education Plus http://eduplusnicaragua.org/ as a volunteer again. Elise goes there 4 days a week and teaches disadvantaged students math, how to tell time, among other cool things. I am so proud of my wife and her desire to want to help others. Last year, giving to the needy really made our road trip through Latin America so much more rewarding than it would have otherwise been. If you have ever wondered if you could make an impact, let me say for the record you can be impactful and we hope that you are regardless of where you help, the world needs volunteers.
   One day our friend and her 10 year old son contracted Zika and only days later we got Zika as well. With a blink of an eye the Zika virus blew through Granada. We discovered that so many of our acquaintances got it at the same time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zika_virus. I can only say that as pandemics go, Zika went at lightning speed through town effecting many thousands of people. We are aware that the Zika virus is making its way northwards and will be a new reality in the US shortly.
   For us the worst thing was the rash, that red, irritating, all consuming, mind-numbing itchiness that drove us crazy, rash. What made our rashes worse was any amount of sweat, any natural oil on your body intensified the itching which spread like hives. We found that staying in an air conditioned room made all the difference in helping us cope with the rash. The second worst thing was the swelling stiffness in our joints and hands. It was, as if every past injury in our lives came back for an encore performance, reminding us just how bad pain can get, lest we have forgotten over the years. In fact, the tenderness in our joints was so bad that even washing our hands hurt. The good news, if there is any, is that the worst of the itchiness only lasted a couple of days. Elise and I had different reactions to the swelling and joint pain. My swelling and joint pain lasted about 3 days while Elise's lasted at least 5 days. Beyond that we were just exhausted and slept a lot while recovering.

Zoe's back had a big rash

Zoe's face had a rash.

Red skin was super itchy.