How widespread are infectious diseases in Ticino today? Enos Bernasconi, professor at the Faculty of Biomedicine of the Universitą della Svizzera italiana (USI) and deputy head physician at Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC) , commented on the annual epidemiological data for 2023 collected by the Federal Office of Public Health in an article featured in RSI Info.
Professor Enos Bernasconi gave an overview of the main infectious diseases in our region. He presented the incidence rate for each disease, indicated as the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The first two diseases mentioned by the professor were legionnaires’ disease and salmonella. Ticino had a relatively high incidence rate for both diseases compared to the rest of Switzerland, with 25.42 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for legionnaires’ disease and 29.9 cases for salmonella. "It is not easy to interpret the increase," Professor Bernasconi said, referring to legionnaires’ disease, "but it could also depend on climate factors. However, cooling towers in industrial systems, where aerosols are created that can spread over a wide radius if contaminated, could also have an influence. In Ticino, there could be potential issues with drinking water distribution systems, especially in older buildings. It’s also important to consider cases where individuals may be exposed to water quality issues, such as when using a shower in a vacation home that has been unoccupied for some time."
The analysis of the EOC deputy head physician then focused on sexually transmitted diseases. One encouraging fact is the absence of new AIDS cases resulting from HIV infection. The number of HIV-positive people has also decreased. In 2023, there were 12 cases in Ticino and 356 in Switzerland. However, these figures, while encouraging, may lead to reduced personal prevention against other sexually transmitted diseases. "While HIV can be eliminated with proper surveillance and early treatment, there has been a clear increase in other sexually transmitted diseases due to reduced use of traditional prevention methods, especially condoms. Unlike HIV, there is not as targeted prevention for syphilis." This has led to a peak in gonorrhoea infections in Ticino in 2023 (with a rate of 43.9, still lower than the national rate of 68.1).
Professor Bernasconi then analysed the trend in contagions of the various forms of hepatitis; in 2023, there were zero new cases of hepatitis A and 71 cases of hepatitis B (equivalent to an incidence rate of 19.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). "There have been effective vaccines for many years. If we have new cases of hepatitis B, it is basically a failure in prevention. Hepatitis B is easily preventable with vaccinations, so, unfortunately, there are still new infections. On the other hand, for hepatitis C, it is the prevention programmes, especially in the world of drug addiction with the distribution of sterile material, that have made it possible to reduce the risk of transmission."
Professor Bernasconi concluded his analysis by talking about the bogeyman of hikers: ticks, a potential vector of the virus that transmits Meningoencephalitis FSME. Although, to date, there have been few cases in Ticino, the expert’s call is to be "proactive in offering the vaccine to all people who do outdoor activities in Switzerland", especially those who frequent potentially high-risk areas.
The full article, edited by Stefano Pianca, is available at the following .
A look at infectious diseases in Ticino
