WWith around half a dozen confirmed cases of dengue fever, authorities in two of Italy’s 20 regions have taken action to contain the spread of the virus. In Lombardy in northern Italy, where the first case of infection with the virus commonly found in the tropics was detected on August 18, and in the capital region of Lazio, the authorities had insecticides sprayed in the affected communities and called on the population to protect themselves from mosquito bites as well as on own measures against the reproduction of mosquitoes.
The virus is transmitted by the diurnal Aedes mosquitoes, namely the Asian tiger mosquito. Direct transmission of the virus from person to person is not possible, rather the virus is transmitted to other people by the mosquito after the bite of an infected person with their blood. The dengue virus is present in the blood of an infected person for two to seven days, during which time the mosquito can ingest the pathogen and transmit it to other people.
In its latest report, the European disease agency ECDC speaks of a “Lombardy cluster” that was identified around the municipality of Manerba del Garda on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda. Insecticides were used there to fight adult mosquitoes as well as larvae. All seven cases in Lombardy, which includes the western shore of Lake Garda, are due to so-called autochthonous infections: the infected were infected on the spot and not while traveling in the tropics.
Rarely complications
In the central Italian region of Latium, the town of San Felice Circeo near the popular seaside resort of Sabaudia south of Rome was affected. Three infections were registered there, two autochthonous and one case of a traveler returning from Kenya. Insecticides were also sprayed extensively in San Felice Circeo.
In the most recent edition of its travel report, the Federal Foreign Office also points out that in Italy dengue viruses are “individually transmitted by diurnal Aedes mosquitoes”. The symptoms of an infection with the dengue virus are similar to the flu, such as fever, headache and body aches, sometimes nausea and vomiting as well as skin rashes or irritations and finally exhaustion after surviving an infection. Dangerous complications only occur in rare cases with dengue fever.
As a protective measure against the Asian tiger mosquito and its bites, it is recommended to completely cover arms and legs with (light-colored) clothing and to use insect repellent. Mosquito nets on windows and doors can prevent mosquitoes from entering living rooms and bedrooms.