Zika alert, Prof. Andreoni: “We cannot exclude that the’infection can also be transmitted by the tiger mosquito”

The Prof. Massimo Andreoni, Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the Tor Vergata Polyclinic in Rome, spoke at the microphones of the program "Genetics Today," hosted by Andrea Lupoli on Radio Cusano Campus, a station of Niccolò Cusano University (www.unicusano.it).

"The Aedes Egypti mosquito technically manages to live in our latitudes and climate," Andreoni said-. The vector of the virus, namely the mosquito, may be present in Italy so the epidemic could spread to our country as well. In addition, the mosquito could arrive by airplane, but at the moment the risk is not there because it would not survive our winter climate. The risk will increase as summer arrives. In the summertime another virus very similar to Zika, chikungunya, arrived in Italy with a passenger from abroad and triggered a small epidemic.

This could also happen with Zika. We also cannot rule out the possibility that the virus could also be carried by the tiger mosquito, which could adapt to be a vector of the virus".