Abstract
The invasion of Aedes albopictus has played a major role in the resurgence of mosquito-borne diseases in Italy, generating the two largest chikungunya outbreaks in Europe (2007, 2017). Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) are important in order to prevent Aedes-borne disease transmission, yet so far they have not been assessed. To this scope we used multivariate logistic regression to investigate KAP of citizen-to-Aedes ecology and transmitted diseases. Data were collated by a structured questionnaire (18 questions) in 2016. Participants were selected in the Lazio region from members of native populations and two resident communities (RC) originating from the Indian subcontinent where Aedes-transmitted diseases are endemic. Results showed that compared to Italians, RC respondents had a higher knowledge and concern of Aedes-transmitted diseases (Odds Ratio = 2.61 (95%CI: 1.03–6.05); OR = 3.13 (2.15–4.65)) as well as their life cycles (OR = 2.49 (1.75–3.56); OR = 9.04 (6.22–13.66)). In contrast, they perceived a lower nuisance due to the presence of Ae. albopictus (OR = 0.2 (0.13–0.32); OR = 0.55 (0.38–0.78). These findings suggest that citizens in the Lazio region are not prepared to face a potential outbreak of arboviruses and further efforts should be made to increase knowledge, awareness and best practices.
Highlights
The mosquito-borne disease burden is increasing worldwide following globalization and the expansion of travel and trade from areas colonized by vectors and pathogens
Non-native participants were selected among members of two different communities originating from the Indian subcontinent: a community from Kerala (South India; on Malayalis) and their members that live in the urban area of Rome; and another community that originates from the Punjab region (North India; on Punjabis) and their members who live in a rural area in the province of Latina (South Lazio), not far from Anzio where the first Chikungunya outbreak occurred in 2017
Respondents included in this study might have included people that are more worried about mosquito infestations than non-respondents, only a few people refused to answer. Data collected in this survey draw a worrying picture of the vulnerability of citizens to Ae. albopictus
Summary
The mosquito-borne disease burden is increasing worldwide following globalization and the expansion of travel and trade from areas colonized by vectors and pathogens. A good example of the association between global human travel and mosquito invasions into new areas is represented by. The so-called “tiger-mosquito” is one of 100 of the most invasive animal species in the word and in fewer than 30 years it has spread across the five continents, colonizing large areas [1]. The rapid expansion of this species was caused by the worldwide trade of tires and the ability of the tiger mosquitoes to produce eggs that diapause and resist the relatively cold winters of temperate areas [2,3]. Predictive models [6] and surveillance data suggest that the majority of imported cases involve Italian residents travelling in tropical areas for
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