The risk of mosquito-borne diseases in Italy it is now real and worrying. The experts of the are sounding the alarm Italian Society of Hygiene on the occasion of World Environment Day. According to the researchers, all national and local authorities must work together to prevent diseases such as malariathe West Nilethe Dengue and fever from Chikungunyamay become endemic.
According to environmental experts, maximum attention should also be paid to diseases transmitted by ticks, such as Lyme diseaseencephalitis and the protective human and those transmitted by papataci like the leishmaniasis.
Risk of mosquito-borne diseases in Italy: human health is closely linked to that of the environment
Naturally the manager of the risk of mosquito diseases in Italy is climate change. At the moment, estimates speak of 15% of Italians living in high-risk areas. Experts argue that a multidisciplinary method with various skills is needed. The model is that of One Healththe same used in the fight againstantibiotic resistancewhich establishes that human health is closely linked to that of animals and the environment.
Risk of mosquito diseases in Italy: also Zika and Marburg
The biggest concern is with Dengue viruses, Zika, Chikungunya, and West Nile. They are part of the arboviruses, a group of pathogens that are transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. In Italy the news has already spoken of several outbreaks, most of which last summer with the record temperatures that were recorded.
The alert also affects the virus in Marburg. “Marburg virus causes a very fatal hemorrhagic fever, like Ebola. The virus is mutating fast. The strains have lowered lethality but have acquired a greater diffusion capacity. This should warn us of a possible new epidemic. Fabrizio Pregliasco is associate professor of General and Applied Hygiene at the University of Milan.
We must act soon
“It is essential to invest in infrastructure, in the cleaning of waterways and in the restructuring of the water network, to reduce the risk of flooding. These interventions prevent the accumulation of debris and promote natural water flow, protecting communities from flooding. It is important that local and national governments exploit the expertise of highly qualified professionals, adopting a multidisciplinary and interprofessional approach in a One Health perspective. This allows us to obtain valuable indications to reduce the damage caused by environmental disasters”.
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