Italian health authorities confirmed more than 160 cases of chikungunya virus in September 2007, the majority concentrated in the Ravenna region of northern Italy, with roughly 30 additional cases in neighboring villages.
The outbreak was traced to a traveler who returned from India and visited friends in the area while unknowingly infected. Local mosquitoes spread the virus further, aided by unusually high insect densities around Ravenna.
French epidemiologist Antoine Flahault called it a global first, the earliest recorded chikungunya outbreak outside tropical latitudes. Italian officials had already alerted European health counterparts when the case count surpassed 100.
Antonio Cassone of Italy's National Institute for Health noted that the mosquito species capable of carrying the virus had been present in the country for years, and that rising temperatures and humidity were creating more favorable conditions for their spread. He dismissed a link to malaria but acknowledged some possibility of dengue fever transmission.
Authorities said the situation was under control and mosquito suppression measures were in place. Chikungunya takes its name from a Swahili term for "that which bends up," a reference to the hunched posture caused by arthritic symptoms. Fever, headaches, and muscle pain are also common; most patients recover.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2007, in its own words.