Secondary Autochthonous Outbreak of Chikungunya, Southern Italy, 2017

Surveillance of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections in Italy is part of an integrated national surveillance and response plan (1) that adopts the current EU case definition for this disease (2). Surveillance is mandatory and active throughout the year and enhanced during the season of vector activity when any suspected human case needs to be notified by medical doctors to the local health authorities (LHA) within 12 hours of detection. Clinical samples are sent to the Regional (where available) and/or National Reference Laboratories for Arboviruses for laboratory confirmation as previously described (3,4) according to a predefined diagnostic algorithm (1). Any probable or confirmed case notified to LHAs should be transmitted within 12 hours to the Italian Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Institute of Health (ISS). LHAs also initiate environmental and epidemiologic investigations and alert vector control services to activate measures around each case (within 24 hours from notification) (1). Control measures on Substances of Human Origin (SoHO), are triggered when local transmission of multiple cases is ascertained.