It is a sudden spread, this time, at the gates of France. In just one weekend, Italy has experienced an outbreak of coronavirus cases on its territory. More than 300 people infected, 11 deaths, according to the latest official report, or dozens of new patients in 24 hours. Seven regions are now affected, including Tuscany and Sicily.
How to explain such contamination? Was our Latin neighbor sufficiently prepared?
Patient 0 not found
This is the main problem, it has not been identified. "We assume that the contamination started from a person who had few symptoms," explains Anne-Claude Crémieux, professor of infectious diseases at the Saint-Louis hospital in Paris. As it has not been detected, it has not been isolated or quarantined. By losing his track, he could have contaminated many others, ”concludes the infectious disease specialist. As a result, doctors see patients arriving who have not traveled to China or who have not had contact with a person returning from the contaminated area, which leads to diagnostic delays. "Meanwhile, the coronavirus is spreading," explains Sébastien Gallien, infectious disease specialist at Henri-Mondor Hospital, in Créteil (Val-de-Marne).
A virus that gives a hard time
This is its peculiarity. Not only can a patient be infected without showing symptoms and still be contagious, but the Covid-19 plays tricks on doctors as it takes a variety of forms, "from simple pharyngitis to pneumonia "Warns Anne-Claude Crémieux. As a result, the epidemic is difficult to control. “On the contrary, SARS, in 2003, gave severe pneumonia, an infected patient was immediately identified. This is one of the factors that helped stop its spread. "
VIDEO. Italy recognizes errors in its management of the epidemic
This Tuesday, Giuseppe Conte, the head of the Italian government, he acknowledged "non-compliant management of the hospital". Difficult to know exactly what happened. But according to Anne-Claude Crémieux, patients presented to the emergency room without knowing that they were infected and they thus contaminated the nursing staff and the most fragile. “This confirms that transmission to the hospital played an important role. "Another aggravating factor, the very fast population flows" as is the case with Milan Fashion Week which has just taken place ", leans Sébastien Gallien.
A matter of bad luck
"Cases without symptoms was what we could fear," says Anne-Claude Crémieux. So far, in France, this situation has not arisen. "Even if there are still unknowns to understand the high speed spread of the epidemic in the country, according to this specialist," the Italians were unlucky when they had yet actively prepared for it arrival of the virus ". To better identify it, "we now ask doctors to be vigilant about the number of grouped cases of respiratory infections in the hospital." The mere link with China, fever and cough are no longer enough.
