act immediately to avoid trouble. The serious risk – Time

Act “now” and do it “with maximum energy” to prevent the proliferation of the tiger mosquito, a possible carrier of the Dengue virus. It is the only way “to avoid finding ourselves in trouble in the summer months”, dealing with an infection that risks becoming endemic in Italy too. This is the appeal of virologist Roberto Burioni, in light of the emergency that the American region is experiencing and the growing reports in our country. And if for now we are talking regarding imported infections, the memory goes back to last year when in the Peninsula there were 82 (out of a total of 362) native cases recorded by the Higher Institute of Health. Numbers to which must be added a hidden amount that is difficult to quantify, given that the infection does not always cause symptoms and when it does not cause serious symptoms it is not guaranteed that it will be recognised.

«In Brazil and in other countries the situation is very serious – Burioni reminds Adnkronos – so we can expect infected people to arrive in Italy. It has already happened in my Pesaro – underlines the professor of microbiology and virology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan, originally from the Marche city – where the mayor Ricci rightly prohibited a Good Friday procession”. The latest case reported in the news, following one in Genoa and two in Lombardy, one in Busto Arsizio in the province of Varese and the other in Brescia. «In Italy a vector» capable of transmitting Dengue, «the tiger mosquito, already exists – underlines the expert – and therefore, if the number of infected people arriving is high and the number of mosquitoes is high, yes it can trigger local transmission which might constitute a big problem, because the disease in one case out of 20 is serious.”

For Dengue, the teacher highlights, «we do not have a specific therapy and the vaccine, just approved, is still of limited use. So the problem depends on two factors. The first is the progress of the epidemic in the countries now affected. If things remain serious, infected people will continue to arrive and we can do little regarding this also because 50% of cases are asymptomatic.” But «the second factor is the number of tiger mosquitoes present in Italy» and «we can intervene on this. We must do it now, with the utmost energy – urges Burioni – to avoid finding ourselves in trouble in the summer months”. «We remember that the disease is transmitted only through the bite of the mosquito» and that this one, «following it has bitten an infected person, remains infectious for his entire life, more or less a month – the virologist comments -, being able to infect all people he bites in those 30 days.” The alert is maximum.