West Nile virus, ISS: "10 cases since the beginning of the year, 7 in the province of Latina."

The spread of West Nile virus in Italy is consistent with previous years. From the beginning of the year until yesterday, the National Institute of Health estimates, "there have been ten cases in our country, seven in the Lazio region, and seven in the province of Latina." This update follows the death of an 82-year-old woman hospitalized in Fondi due to symptoms resulting from a mosquito bite.

"Of the seven cases reported by the Lazio Region, six presented with the neuroinvasive form and one with only feverish symptoms. Four cases are in males and the remaining three are in females. The median age is 72 years (range: 63-86)," the ISS specifies, based on data from the surveillance system coordinated by the Ministry of Health, which the institute supports for the human component. "The bulletin of July 24, 2024, reported 13 confirmed cases, with no deaths."

"Throughout 2024, 460 cases were reported to the surveillance system," coordinated by the Ministry of Health and supported by the ISS for the human component, "of which 272 manifested themselves in the neuroinvasive form," they conclude.

Rezza: "The area where the vehicle is circulating is extensive; we're keeping a watchful eye, but there's no alarm."

"West Nile virus has been circulating in Italy for years, but its activity was almost entirely confined to the Po Valley ," Gianni Rezza, former director of Prevention at the Ministry of Health and now associate professor of Hygiene at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, told Adnkronos Salute. The cases in Latina, "where in the past only animal outbreaks had been identified, demonstrate that the area affected by viral circulation has expanded." Therefore, "although the situation is not alarming, surveillance and control activities must be adopted more widely across the country . However, the rapid identification of cases demonstrates an adequate response at the level of the affected regions."

The infection, Rezza recalls, is spread "through the bite of Culex mosquitoes, the common mosquitoes that have always disturbed sleep on summer nights. For years, the virus—which arrived in Europe from Africa via the flight paths of migratory birds—has caused sporadic cases in the Po Valley. 20% of those infected develop a fever, and only 1% develop serious symptoms, such as encephalitis." What's new, Rezza highlights on his Facebook page, is that "this year, cases have reached the outskirts of Rome, in what was once a notorious malarial region and where the infection had until now only been found in horses. These animals, like humans, are dead-end hosts, meaning they become infected but do not transmit the infection to other living beings."

The other cause for concern is that "it's only mid-July, after all," Rezza observes. "August and September are typically the highest-risk months, but perhaps this year the season has simply come earlier, as has sometimes happened in the past. In short, let's hope for the best, but strengthening pest control efforts and protecting the elderly in affected areas—for example, by using mosquito nets—during hot summer nights may be wise."

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