Congo virus, suspicious symptoms on a patient in Lucca

An Italian citizen who had returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with symptoms of influenza was admitted to San Luca Hospital in Lucca and has since been discharged, having recovered. In a recent statement, Maria Rosaria Campitiello, the Head of the Prevention Department of the Italian Ministry of Health, asserted that. The Lucca Hospital administration has conveyed to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) that they are engaged in the surveillance of the patient who was hospitalized from November 22 to December 3, 2024. The Ministry is currently undertaking the necessary investigative procedures, and the biological samples collected will be analysed by the ISS according to the results of the WHO experts’ tests, the details of which are still pending. These tests pertain to the nature of the unidentified virus that has been observed to be present in certain regions of the DRC. The mortality rate of the disease is about 8%, a worrying figure but not indicative of an impending crisis. Indeed, it should be noted that a considerable number of deaths in Congo are attributed to a lack of access to health care. In any case, the Italian health authorities continue to maintain a high level of vigilance.