Low risk of Congo disease outbreak in Tuscany

In the case of a patient returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Lucca, undergoing treatment and subsequently being discharged from hospital, Spartaco Sani, Head of the Infectious Diseases Area of the Toscana Nord Ovest Local Health Authority, has stated that it is highly improbable that we are witnessing the initial occurrence of the new disease presumed to be present in Congo. This is because the subject at stake had been in areas that were geographically distant from the locations where the outbreaks had occurred. Meanwhile, Italy is forming a dedicated task force on infectious diseases, comprising experts, to oversee the situation in the DRC and provide the regions with bespoke guidance in line with WHO recommendations. The WHO has classified the health risk of the Congo as very high in the affected area and moderate at the domestic level due to potential spread through gaps in health surveillance. At the global level, the risk is considered low. The WHO’s latest report makes a series of recommendations to strengthen global coordination and improve the effectiveness of the response. These include the introduction of new, unified coordination mechanisms, enhanced disease surveillance and monitoring, and more detailed characterisation of the clinical syndrome and outcomes.