Dengue virus transmission in Italy: surveillance and epidemiological trends up to 2023

Abstract

AbstractDengue virus circulation is on the rise globally with increased epidemic activity in previously unaffected countries, including within the European region. In 2023, global dengue activity peaked, and Italy reported the highest number of dengue cases and local chains of transmission to date. By curating several sources of information, we introduce a novel data repository focused on dengue reporting in Italy. We integrate geographic, epidemiological, genomic and climatic spatio-temporal data to present an overview of transmission patterns of the past eight years related to circulating viral lineages, geographic distribution, hotspots of reporting, and the theoretical contribution of local climate. This study contributes to a better understanding of the evolving scenario in Italy, with the potential to inform reassessment and planning of adequate national and European public health strategies to manage the emergence of dengue.