Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Imported case of chikungunya reported in Bologna, Italy

EmiliaNet and ProMedMail reports a confirmed imported case of chikungunya in a 50 year old Italian of Sri Lankan origin in Bologna, Italy. The imported case was detected following the patients visit to his doctor and his admission to Maggiore Hospital in Bologna with high fever, joint pains and widespread malaise. The symptoms started on August 1 2008, one day after his return from Sri Lanka. A chikungunya epidemic is raging on in Sri Lanka, with 10000-15000 cases reported in June in Ratnapura district alone. According to the reports the patients condition is stable, and he will be discharged during the day. Considering that the viraemic period of chikungunya is 2-6 days , I find it curious that he's not held in the hospital for isolation to prevent the dissemination of the disease.
Very prudently, a regional protocol was implemented to eliminate mosquito larvae (and hopefully adults) within a radius of 100 meters from the locations where the patient stayed between his arrival to Bologna and his hospitalization.

Hopefully, the swift and commendable reaction of the Italian authorities will be sufficient to avoid the recurrence of the chikungunya epidemic that occured in Emilio-Romagna last year. However, this case might be just the tip of the iceberg as many mildly symptomatic cases might not get reported. This coincides with the seasonal increase of the local Aedes albopictus population. This imported case  re-emphasizes the threat of chikungunya emergence in all areas with competent vector species and climatic conditions (e.g. the South-Eastern United States).


No comments: