Swine Flu In Italy Update
The Italian health ministry is continuing to issue press releases to keep Italy up to date on the swine flu situation both in Italy, and around the world. This post is based on a press release made today.
Up to now, 4 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Italy. One in Massa, which I mentioned in an update to the initial swine flu post, plus three cases which are being treated in hospitals in Rome. One of the patients is at a children’s hospital in Rome, the Bambino Gesù, and is an 11 year old child who is undergoing, and responding to, treatment.
In another Roman hospital, a 16 year old is also being treated for swine flu. In both cases, the patients have recently returned from vacations in Mexico.
The other Rome swine flu cases are being treated at the Ospedale Spallanzani in Italy’s capital.
1500 Help Line in Italy
The number of calls the telephone help line facility can cope with has been increased, and calls from those who have booked holidays in Mexico, or who have recently returned from the country are apparently, and unsurprisingly, commonplace.
Swine Flu Situation Under Control in Italy
The television news carried reports this evening which indicated that the Italian authorities are managing to keep the swine flu situation under control so far.
Although the swine flu outbreak has not reached epedemic proportions in Italy, precautions are continuing to be taken, and the situation is being monitored constantly .
RSS Feed for Health Ministry Press Releases
There is a RSS based news feed for those who want to follow the swine flu situation in Italy via official press releases. These press releases are issued directly by the Health Ministry and are in Italian. They can be subscribed to here: Ministero della Salute – Comunicati stampa – RSS
Swine Flu Press Releases
I shall continue to monitor the press releases issued by the Italian health authorities, and will post updates from time to time, or if the situation appears to reach epedemic levels in Italy.
If anyone reading this has any questions, then just leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to help out, or will make a call to the 1500 help line number. Note that I am in Italy, in Milan in the north of the country.
This is part of a series of updates on the swine flu situation in Italy – please see the Related Posts section below this post for more.
This post was written by Alex P Roe
Tags: health, help line, Italian government, measures, pandemic, press release, swine flu
[...] Alex Roe created an interesting post today on Swine Flu In Italy Update | Blog from ItalyHere’s a short outlineThe Italian health ministry is continuing to issue press releases to keep Italy up to date on the swine flu situation both in Italy, and around the world. This post is based on a press release made today. [...]
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your updates. My wife and i are planning a trip to Italy (Florence-Tuscany) in October and were curious what the status of the Swine Flu epidemic is in Italy right now. We are particularly concerned since my wife is pregnant..Any updates you can provide will be very helpful.
thanks!
Hi Amaustin,
There have been 1900 cases of Swine flu in Italy up to 29th August according to an Italian Health Ministry press release of the same date.
One man is in a serious condition in a hospital in Monza, Italy – and this is the first case of Swine flu with complications in Italy so far – and there have been no deaths from Swine flu to date – even if the man in Monza is not in a good way by all accounts.
The risk of death from Swine flu in Europe has been put at 0.21% – which is lower than the worldwide average lethality level of 0.98%.
While I would suggest you speak to a doctor about this – because I am not one – I don’t really think you need to worry too much about your trip to Italy this October. If you live in the US for example, it’s probably riskier to stay there than it is to come to Italy. The only real worry is that incidences of flu increase after the summer months, and towards late October, especially in north Italy, the temperature by day and night is much lower than during the summer months.
For more detailed information – try here: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/activities/sciadvice/Lists/ECDC%20Reviews/ECDC_DispForm.aspx?List=512ff74f-77d4-4ad8-b6d6-bf0f23083f30&ID=633
Don’t take my word on this, I’m just a blogger – please do speak to a doctor, and if he or she says I’m wrong – come back and complain!
All the best and I hope you have a good trip to Italy,
Alex
Thank you for the response Alex. This is useful information. We will definitely be checking with a doctor before coming, but hearing from someone in Italy definitely provides a better perspective on the situation there.
Thanks!
You are welcome, Amaustin,
Glad to have been of some assistance.
Best,
Alex