In Italy the cases of “foreign” pathologies are multiplying, such as the Dengue tropical fever, but also of some relegated to the past such as scabies and tuberculosis. Summer (and landings) Fans from flywheel to these viruses
The first signs appeared last May, in the streets of the small town of the Demine, in the province of Cremona: they warned citizens of an extraordinary disinfestation, which was necessary for a case of dense fever that had just occurred in the tiny village not far from Lodi. The patient was a twenty -five year old just arrived from abroad, of which nationality was not made known. Then another case arrived in Crema, where about forty -nine year old Nigerian was hospitalized for the same illness, and then still Brugherio, Solbiate Arno and Corbetta (all in Lombardy) and Arezzo, only in the last week.
In the first 5 months of 2025, in our country there are already 68 cases reported of this tropical fever, which begins with temperature over 40 degrees, vomiting and, in the most serious cases, even bleeding from the nose and gums: for each of these patients, repeated disinfestations must be proceeded in the streets surrounding their homes and in all the places frequented. The disease (which belongs to the class of arbovirosi, that is, pathologies transmitted by insects that puncture or bite) is caused by a virus of the same “family” of yellow fever and Japanese and vector, and the carrier is a particular type of tiger mosquito that reproduces in the stagnant water: the first news of large urban epidemics of Dengue dates back to the seventeenth century.
But this fever is not, unfortunately, the only health problem to reach us from the past, or from abroad: you know the tuberculosis, the poorly deleted de The Karamazov brothers by Dostoevsky or of the Bohème Di Puccini? Here, precisely the very dangerous disease discovered by Robert Koch in 1882, and who in theory had to remain confined in the nineteenth century, has returned to our homes and hospitals. And with her there is very little to joke, because she can kill in a few days. «It is a pathology historically linked to poverty, to people who live on the margins. But today the migratory flows are mainly re -accepted “explains Professor Marco Falcone, director of the operating unit of infectious diseases of the University Hospital of Pisa. “Many cases come from African countries, or from the Philippines, from Romania or Ukraine, places where tuberculosis is endemic. In this way, the probability that spreads in the reception centers is increased, or also in the contexts of domestic coexistence with careghers or domestic collaborators from these countries. A case is enough in a temporary permanence center, or in an RSA, to spread the disease even to hundreds of people ».
To limit it, they need narrow surveillance, early diagnosis and adequate structures in all Italian regions: we cannot afford not controlled outbreaks, given that the disease is very dangerous especially for the elderly and fragile patients. The more or less distant cousins of the Dengue are also the Chikungunya fever (22 cases in Italy since the beginning of the year) and the one caused by the West Nile virus, once the prerogative of the South East Asia but now also widespread by us. “It can affect the nervous system and give serious complications, until death,” continues Falcone. «Now as now West Nile is widespread especially in Veneto and throughout Northeast. Another case of exotic virus that we find ourselves behind the house: in the spread of these diseases, the change in the migratory routes of the birds also have a weight, which are the natural tank of many of these viruses. If first some species stopped in North Africa today, with the rising of temperatures, they come to central Europe: then the mosquitoes act as a bridge towards man ».
Another problem is that of Scabbia, which until a few years ago seemed a distant memory and whose name brought the mind back to periods of social degradation and poor hygiene, now overcome. Instead, in some areas of our country (as in Lazio or Bologna) cases have grown by 750 percent in the last three years: the symptoms are skin rush, intense itching and blisters especially in the genital area or between the fingers. Here too the causes are to be found in the hygienic-sanitary deficiencies that are found in communities, in schools and also in hospitals: but tourists who travel to developing countries are often ill without the necessary precautions.
As if the problems that derive from migratory flows and from our poor attention were not enough, in Milan the urban degradation was put to encourage an epidemic of another disease that we have now considered anachronistic: the legionella, with many cases-and a deceased man-in the public housing of via Rizzoli, north-east periphery of the city. Caused by a bacterium that lives in the waters, the disease is subtle because it can nest everywhere. “In swimming pools, for example: if the water is not chlorinated well and remains hot, the bacterial load grows,” says Falcone. «Or even in the conduct of the showers on the beaches: the water in the tanks warms up to the sun, and the shower aerosol spreads legionella to bathers. But the large and ice and ice fans used in the bars of our cities or air conditioners and condominium pipes are also a danger not correctly clean and maintained. Many cases occur in Italy every year: the initial symptoms recall those of pneumonia, but if the disease is not recognized they can worsen quickly ».
And then there are those diseases that we go to get there, with unco careful travel and behaviors. Leaving the English tourist, the early June died of anger (first case in England after more than 20 years) due to a dog scratch during a holiday in Morocco, there are many unfortunate or only unfortunate tourists who return from holidays with diseases that can prove to be very serious. “The data collected by our surveillance systems outline a complex geographical framework: tropical and pathogens viruses deemed under control are redesigning the map of global risks” explains Professor Francesco Broccolo, director of the microbiology and virology department of the Fazzi hospital in Lecce. «When traveling, it is essential to protect yourself from mosquitoes, with opaque clothing and repellents that contain Deets to 20-30 percent. And then you need to pay attention to the food and water that is drunk: always and only packaged, avoiding ice ». And once you return home, the utmost attention is needed. Because the symptoms of many diseases may occur in the days following the trip. “The post-review period represents a critical window for the early identification of any infections of all kinds,” warns the professor. «Therefore, watch out for any feverish rise, which must be immediately reported to the doctor specifying the place where he went on vacation. The Dengue can occur from 3 to 14 days after exposure, while measles- also in enormous growth in all countries- has a 10-12 days incubation period ».
Never quiet, therefore: between risks to our home, linked to immigration and lacking hygienic conditions, and dangers that come from the exotic travels that are so desired, the summer 2025 could prove to be a obstacle course. To be faced with caution but also with a certain fatalism: we just have to wait for September, the autumn and the rains, which will sweep away – hopefully – all the excesses of a viral summer.
