The last outbreak of cholera in Italy dates back to 1994, in Bari, twenty-one years after the epidemic that mainly hit Naples.
Now there is a new case in Sardinia. A return of the vibrio to the Island after the last episode dated 1973. A 71-year-old from Arbus, a town 74 kilometers from Cagliari, was affected. The man was under control for other pathologies, but some symptoms convinced the doctors of the Santissima Trinità of Cagliari to carry out more in-depth analyses.
And finally the diagnosis arrived: cholera. The causes are still to be ascertained, but there are essentially two hypotheses: ingestion of non-potable water with the presence of unpurified wastewater. Or consumption of raw seafood: the microorganisms that cause cholera tend to concentrate there.
But the verdict is not in yet. For this reason, experts avoid easy and hasty conclusions precisely to avoid possible alarmism among consumers of mussels and other seafood. The response on the serotype will arrive on Thursday 13th from the zooprophylactic institute of Rome.
“The patient is better – reassures the head of the Infectious Diseases department of the Santissima Trinità Goffredo Angioni, already on the front line in the fight against the coronavirus – The situation is normalizing. The diarrhea has gradually decreased. And now the situation is under control.”
Attention remains high, but without alarmism or epidemic psychosis, specialists warn: Arbus' case is currently isolated. All national protocols relating to the infectious disease have been applied: the patient is in isolation and the tracking activity is underway - the Medio Campidano ASL is taking care of it - to detect any cases of contagion among the people who usually live with the 71-year-old or visit him.
From the manager of ASL 8, Marcello Tidore, a recommendation: “Especially in summer, it is advisable to pay attention to the drinkability of the water. It is always preferable to consume cooked foods; if raw, they must be stalled or slaughtered”. In countries such as those in Southeast Asia, however, the spread is due to the lack of adequate sewage systems, which favors the terrain in which the bacterium multiplies.
The disease is transmitted by contact between feces and the mouth, either directly (for example, through poor hand hygiene that is brought to the mouth), or through water or food contaminated by feces. It can cause death due to severe dehydration, especially in children or the elderly, however with appropriate care mortality is contained below 1%.
Article published on 10 July 2023 - 18:30
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