Rome, 27 April 2024 – Half a century later in Puglia was malaria mosquito found. What does this discovery mean, brought to the fore by a study by the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Puglia and Basilicata and published on ‘PubMed’?
“Information to be taken into proper consideration. Surveillance is done of the circulation of mosquitoes for this reason. No alarmismtherefore”, is the invitation that comes from Pier Luigi Lopalcoprofessor of Hygiene at the University of Salento.
Dengue, the map of cases in Italy, region by region
For Lopalco this discovery is however “another sign of concern about the changes that the climate and the changes in the environment are causing. We are certainly not talking about the immediate risk of bringing malaria back to Italy. But it is a warning that requires taking serious measures to further improve mosquito surveillance and reduce their circulation.”
“The discovery has a strong health relevance and impact, highlighting an increase in receptivity in the southern areas of the country,” the authors write. In September 2022 a single example of Anopheles maculipennis was collected in municipality of Lecce and identified molecularly like Anopheles sacharovi. This survey led to the implementation of a targeted entomological survey in September 2023. “
“Every year they are reported cases of imported malaria in European countries, the risk of introduction of malaria plasmodium by gametocyte carriers among travelers from endemic countries should be taken into greater consideration – the authors warn -. Our results allow us to rethink and build new models for the prediction and expansion of malaria. Furthermore, to prevent the risk of reintroduction of the disease, the need to strengthen surveillance of residual anopheism throughout the South must be considered”.
The investigations were conducted focusing on animal farms, the riding schools and potential mosquito breeding sites. Once captured they were subjected to the qPcr test.
