Dengue: Italy advances with 657 cases, Fano has a major outbreak with 136 infections
Increasing numbers in the last week for the ISS bulletin which however reassures on the "made in Italy" outbreaks: there have been no new local transmissions for 10 days.
ROME – In the last week they have increased at a rate of one per day: the confirmed cases of Dengue in Italy have risen to 657 since January 1, of which 200 are indigenous. This is stated in the weekly update of the ISS surveillance bulletin, which however assures: all the autochthonous outbreaks registered on the national territory are controlled and show no signs of recent activity.
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From January 1 to October 22, 2024, the national surveillance system has reported 657 confirmed cases of Dengue, there were 650 in the bulletin of October 15 last. As many as 457 are infections associated with travel abroad and 200 are autochthonous cases, the median age is 45 years, 51% involve males and none have led to death. As of October 22, 2024, several local transmission events of the Dengue virus have been identified in Italy, but no new cases of infection in humans have been recorded for at least ten days.
IN FANO IN THE MARCHE 134 CASES, PLUS 2 ‘CONNECTED’ IN TUSCANY
The largest outbreak, with 136 cases of infection, all symptomatic and with identification of the Dengue virus of type 2, is located in a municipality in the Marche Region, Fano. Of these cases, 134 were reported by the Marche Region. Furthermore, 2 cases were reported in Tuscany, with epidemiological links to the Marche cases. No new cases with symptom onset have been reported in the last eleven days (11-22 October), highlighting a significant reduction in the number of new infections associated with this outbreak over the last four weeks, which continues to be verified and confirmed.
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Another outbreak, of smaller dimensions (35 confirmed cases with identification of the Dengue virus type 2 – DENV-2), has been identified in Cavezzo, in the province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna Region. In this municipality, no new cases have been recorded “for about a month now”, explains the ISS, and epidemiological investigations are currently underway. At the moment, the institute adds, there is no microbiological evidence linking these cases with the Marche outbreak.
Finally, an outbreak was reported with12 confirmed cases in Lombardy (Dengue virus type 1 – DENV-1) with no new cases in the last twenty days; andan outbreak with 8 confirmed cases in Abruzzo and no new cases in the last fifteen days. Epidemiological investigations are underway for both outbreaks. “As of October 22, all autochthonous DENV outbreaks on the national territory are controlled and show no signs of recent activity”, concludes the ISS. “The final monitoring phase has been activated aimed at definitively closing the outbreaks themselves”.
Finally, “some additional sporadic cases and small outbreaks of autochthonous infection by DENV types 1, 2 and 3” are added, reported in Veneto (1 case), Emilia-Romagna (1 case), Tuscany (2 cases), Marche (3 cases) and Abruzzo (2 cases). The epidemiological investigations conducted up to 22 October 2024 have not highlighted epidemiological or microbiological links with the cases reported in other Regions or with the other outbreaks described.
IN FANO, DISINFESTATIONS IN SCHOOLS, KINDERGARTENS AND CEMETERIES
According to the local press, Fano today has 196 cases, of which 136 confirmed (2 of which in Pesaro), 52 probable and 8 possible: this is reported by Resto del Carlino extending the count of infections to those not yet certified by the ISS (which instead speaks of a reduction in new infections).
Meanwhile, the Municipality of the Marche town continues with disinfestation interventions in the territory: in recent days, schools of all levels and cemeteries have been affected by adulticide treatments to contain the proliferation of the Tiger Mosquito (Aedesalbopictus).