Since the beginning of June there have been 144 infections, of which 87 with neuro-invasive symptoms. Some animals are also positive for the virus: mosquitoes, birds, equidae
The number of cases and deaths caused by the West Nile virus in Italy is growing: from the beginning of June until 9 August there have been 144 contagion50 more than 7 days ago, an increase of 53%. Three dead in the last week, which bring the balance from the beginning of the season to 10: 6 in Veneto, 2 in Piedmont, one in Lombardy and one in Emilia-Romagna. These are the surveillance data on West Nile and Usutu virus of the Higher Institute of Health.
Virus present in some animals
Of the 144 patients infected with West Nile, 87 manifested neuro-invasive symptoms e 33 fever. Surveillance also confirmed the presence of the virus in some animals: 121 pools of mosquitoes captured in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. Also identified 41 birds positive and 6 outbreaks between horsemen.
Advice for prevention
There is no vaccine for West Nile fever, a disease caused by the virus first isolated in 1937 in Uganda, precisely in the West Nile district, and today spread to Africa, Western Asia, Europe, Australia and America. In severe cases, about one in a thousand, it can cause lethal encephalitis. The main advice is to protect yourself from bites, eliminating the conditions that favor the reproduction of mosquitoes. It is good to use repellents and wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors, especially at sunrise and sunset; apply mosquito nets to the windows; frequently empty flower pots or other containers with standing water; often change the water in the bowls for the animals; keep the paddling pools upright when not in use.
Severe symptoms in one in a hundred cases
The reservoirs of the virus are wild birds and mosquitoes, whose bites are the main means of transmission to humans. West Nile fever is not spread from person to person and has an incubation period of between 2 and 14 days. Most infected people show no symptoms. Of the symptomatic cases, about 20% present mild complaints: fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, skin rashes. The most severe symptoms occur in less than 1% of infected people, typically the elderly and debilitated people, and include high fever, severe headaches, muscle weakness, disorientation, convulsions, up to paralysis and coma. Call the doctor if the fever rises above 38.5, joint and muscle pain, headache, confusion, rash appear.
There are vaccines for horses
The vaccine for human use has not yet been reached (although several studies are underway), but they have been approved – even in Italy – several West Nile vaccines for horses. The Ministry of Health has recommended the use of the vaccine for equidae which in the summer-autumn season are moved to areas where the virus is circulating. The costs are borne by the owner. The vaccination must be registered on the animal’s passport and communicated to the ASL.
First two cases of Usuto virus
The first two Italian cases of human infection with virus Disease, a West Nile-like arbovirus. The two patients are asymptomatic. Since the start of surveillance in early June, the Usutu virus has been identified in 58 pools of mosquitoes e 7 birds in Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Marche, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Umbria, Tuscany, Lazio and Veneto.
August 11, 2022 (change August 11, 2022 | 15:39)
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