Dengue is scary. And the summer of travel (between the Europeans and the Olympics) doesn’t help

The coming summer, with mosquitoes and mega sporting events, worries about the possible spread of dengue

BOLOGNA – Dengue worries Italy and beyond. If in the last few days there have been several cases of dengue in Italy (from Modena to Venice), what worries the experts most is the fact that we areat the gates of a summer where mass movements will be protagonists, in particularly for two major upcoming sporting events: the European football championships and the French Olympics. Millions of visitors are expected, in addition to the usual crowds of tourists. In the meantime, both in Venice and Modena (where there were two cases in a few days), extraordinary disinfestations have been arranged to try to avoid the possibility of new cases.

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THE SYMPTOMS OF DENGUE

Symptoms of dengue includehigh fever, headache, bone pain and nausea, but in the case of a particularly serious and undiagnosed infection you can even die. The virus in question is transmitted by mosquitoesof the Aedesspecies, such as the tiger mosquito. It does not occur. The disease cannot be transmitted from man to man. The main cause of the spread of dengue is the Aedes Aegypti mosquito (which does not exist in Italy), but also the Aedes Albopictus (i.e. the common ‘tiger mosquito’ present in Italy) can be a potential vector of the disease. The countries most at risk remain those in South-East Asia, the Western Pacific, the Americas, Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Most of the cases reported in Italy were then identified as cases linked to travel to risk areas, to deal with which a vaccine is provided: the 2023 data, in fact, saw 362 cases in total, of which 280 linked to travel abroad.

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HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF

The first prevention measure against dengue is to counter the spread of tiger mosquitoes, which is why the authorities are intensifying recommendations to avoid water stagnation and outbreaks in public gardens. The same treatments, however, should be taken by private individuals in their yards and gardens. Another way to take action is to userepellent products(or wear covering clothing) to reducethe possibility of being bittenby mosquitoes.

The path of the anti-mosquito campaign is the one that Paris has also taken. In fact, hundreds of traps have been placed for the nesting of the tiger mosquito, which will then be analyzed every month.

TESTS IN AIRPORTS

Then there is the path of prevention linked to the arrival of mosquitoes from countries at risk. In March, the Ministry of Health had released some indications and given orders to the Regions (as well as for the monitoring and remediation of possible tiger mosquito outbreaks) to prepare all the necessary prevention measures. prevention on planes and ships, including cruise ships. Furthermore, specific tests are being studied at airports, on a voluntary and free basis, for symptomatic travelers arriving from countries at risk. The ministry had also urged to raise awareness of general practitioners and paediatricians, as well as healthcare personnel in general, to allow rapid identification of cases.

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