Chikungunya in Italy (Rome, Lazio & Calabria) (Update 5)

On 21 October 2017 the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)reported reported 358 cases of chikungunya in Italy to 13 October 2017.

Of these, 297 cases have been reported in Lazio, the region around Rome. An additional 3 cases with travel history to the area have been reported from: Emilia-Romagna (1 case), Marche (1 case) and France (1 case).

In Calabria, in the far south, 54 cases have been reported in Guardavalle Marina. Additional cases with history of travel to Guardavalle Marina have been reported from Emilia-Romagna (3 cases) and Germany (1 case).

Advice for Travellers

No vaccine is available against Chikungunya. Mosquito bite avoidance is the only method of reducing the risk of infection.

All travellers to endemic regions should be aware of the risk of CHIKV infection and be advised to practise strict bite avoidance measures, see Mosquito Bites Avoidance.

Aedes mosquitoes are particularly persistent and aggressive and bite primarily during the day.

Methods of bite avoidance include:

• Wearing long, loose, lightly coloured clothing to cover up the skin during the day.
• The use of insect repellant containing DEET applied to any exposed skin.
• When sunscreen and DEET are used together, DEET should be applied after sunscreen. The effectiveness of repellant reduces more rapidly than sunscreen, therefore, repellent may have to be reapplied on top of sunscreen.
• The use of permethrin-impregnated mosquito nets protects against early morning bites and should also be used when sleeping during the day.
• The use of air conditioning if available and/or mesh screening of windows and doors.
• Eradication of mosquito breeding sites around accommodation/home (e.g. open containers, old tyres or flower pots that may collect water)

Currently, there are restrictions on donating blood following travel to some parts of Italy.

For further information see Chikungunya.