Autochthonous chikungunya virus transmission may have occurred in Bologna, Italy, during the summer 2007 outbreak

T Seyler; C Rizzo; A C Finarelli; C Po; P Alessio; V Sambri; M L Ciofi Degli Atti; S Salmaso

doi:10.2807/ese.13.03.08015-en

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Autochthonous chikungunya virus transmission may have occurred in Bologna, Italy, during the summer 2007 outbreak
T Seyler^1,2 , C Rizzo¹ , A C Finarelli³ , C Po³ , P Alessio⁴ , V Sambri⁵ , M L Ciofi Degli Atti¹ , S Salmaso⁶
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Affiliations: ¹ Communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit, National Centre of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Public Health Institute, ISS), Rome, Italy ² European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden ³ Public Health Service, Emilia-Romagna Region, Bologna, Italy ⁴ Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale (Local Health Unit, AUSL) of Bologna, Department of Public Health, Bologna, Italy ⁵ University of Bologna, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Bologna, Microbiologia, Bologna, Italy ⁶ National Centre of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Public Health Institute, ISS), Rome, Italy

Correspondence:
T Seyler
thomas.seyler iss.it
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Citation style for this article: Seyler T, Rizzo C, Finarelli A C, Po C, Alessio P, Sambri V, Ciofi Degli Atti M L, Salmaso S. Autochthonous chikungunya virus transmission may have occurred in Bologna, Italy, during the summer 2007 outbreak. Euro Surveill. 2008;13(3):pii=8015. https://doi.org/10.2807/ese.13.03.08015-en

Abstract

In Italy, a national surveillance system for chikungunya fever coordinated by the National Public Health Institute has been in place since August 2006. In summer 2007, an outbreak of chikungunya fever affected the Italian provinces of Ravenna, Cesena-Forli and Rimini [1-3]. As of 16 December 2007, health authorities identified 214 laboratory-confirmed cases with date of onset from 15 July to 28 September 2007. Most cases (161) occurred in the two neighbouring villages of Castiglione di Cervia and Castiglione di Ravenna, but limited local transmission also took place in the cities of Ravenna, Cesena, Cervia, and Rimini. In September 2007, two confirmed cases (two women aged 68 and 70) were reported among residents of the city of Bologna (373,026 inhabitants). Both had a history of travel in the affected areas (municipality of Cervia). No unusual increase in the density of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in the Bologna area was noted at that time (September).