Chikungunya, hundreds of indigenous cases in Italy over the years

Over the years, Italy has already seen several cases of Chikungunya epidemics, with hundreds of indigenous cases—that is, people bitten by local mosquitoes. Massimo Andreoni, an infectious disease specialist and scientific director of the Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, explained this to ANSA, clarifying the situation regarding the cases reported by the regions.

"In 2007 there were more than 200 cases in Emilia Romagna, 300 in 2017 with the majority (240) in the Lazio region (precisely in the Pontine area now affected by West Nile), almost all native, bitten by a local tiger mosquito. In 2024 only 17 cases were recorded, and to date in 2025 30 have been reported", he added.

The latest case reported in Bologna in recent days is not a local case, as the person contracted the disease while traveling, Andreoni clarified, explaining that it does not represent a specific outbreak.

The vector for this disease's transmission is the tiger mosquito. "It's a disease with many asymptomatic cases, which poses a problem for the spread of the disease: this means," he specified, "that without symptoms, you can't stay home and you can be bitten by mosquitoes that then, having picked up the virus from your blood, in turn infect others." The virus causes high fever and muscle aches.

Meanwhile, twelve chikungunya outbreaks have been reported in neighboring France, with a total of 800 cases, over 624 cases of dengue fever, and two cases of Zika, one imported from Indonesia and the other from Thailand. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for urgent action to prevent large-scale chikungunya outbreaks. According to the WHO, the symptoms of chikungunya are similar to those of dengue fever and Zika virus disease, making diagnosis difficult.