A 64-year-old woman residing in Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona province) has been diagnosed with chikungunya by the Infectious/Tropical Diseases and Microbiology Department of Negrar’s IRCCS hospital. Notably, the patient had no recent travel history to countries where the mosquito-borne disease is endemic.
The Veneto Region’s Prevention Directorate, maintaining constant contact with local health authorities, confirmed the patient is hospitalized, alert, and actively cooperating with medical staff.
Upon notification of the case, the Veneto Region coordinated with ULSS 9 Healthcare Authority and the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of the Venezie to implement immediate surveillance measures. These include an epidemiological investigation with prompt risk exposure assessment, entomological monitoring, extraordinary disinfestation procedures, health surveillance of potentially exposed individuals, and enhanced syndromic surveillance in Emergency Departments.
Prevention officials clarified: “Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans through bites from infected Aedes mosquitoes, particularly *Aedes albopictus* (tiger mosquito). It typically presents with sudden high fever and intense joint pain lasting weeks or months. Other common symptoms include muscle pain, headache, skin rashes, fatigue, and occasionally joint swelling. While generally self-limiting, it may cause prolonged symptoms or complications in elderly individuals or those with pre-existing conditions.”
The disease cannot spread person-to-person, only via infected mosquitoes. All previous confirmed chikungunya cases in Veneto were travel-related. This first locally acquired case represents a significant development, likely linked to increased international summer travel from endemic countries and climate conditions favoring tiger mosquito proliferation.