Brussels, 10/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a press release dated 7 September, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed the first European outbreak of chikungunya fever in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The phenomenon also confirms scientists' predictions that global warming would have an impact on infectious diseases propagated by mosquitoes.
Latest figures (5 September) show that a total of 197 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported from the province of Ravenna, in North-East Italy. Of these, 166 are either confirmed or highly probable cases meeting the case definition of a pathology due to an arborvirus (alphavirus) of the Togaviridae family, isolated for the first time in Tanzania and Uganda in 1953. The reservoir of the virus is a mosquito, Aedes Albopictus. On 29 August, the Italian authorities set in place a surveillance system with measures to curb the spread of the illness, including the dispersion of insecticide in the villages concerned, namely Castiglione di Ravenna and Castiglione di Cervia. After the one to twelve-day incubation period, patients affected come down with a fever, muscular pain and bleeding, such as nosebleeds. Complications (respiratory problems, cardiovascular problems and meningoencephalitis) were observed in the French overseas department of La Réunion in 2005-2006. One elderly person has died in Italy.
The ECDC sets out recommendations to visitors to areas with chikungunya transmission: - use of anti-mosquito devices (insecticide-treated bed nets, spray, repellents, etc) and wearing long-sleeve/long-leg clothes, especially during the hours of highest mosquito activity; - mosquito repellent based on a 30% DEET concentration; - pregnant women, immuno-deprived people and people suffering from a severe chronic illness should consult their physicians prior to travel to assess the risk. Persons who have visited any area where chikungunya virus transmission occurs and who develop a high fever along with unexplained joint pain in the 12 days after their return are advised to seek medical attention to avoid a further outbreak of the disease. (oj)