State of emergency Virus outbreak on Lake Garda - hundreds of people in hospital

Hundreds of people have fallen ill with norovirus in a municipality on Lake Garda. The mayor has asked for help.

A severe norovirus outbreak has hit the picturesque harbor town of Torri del Benaco on Lake Garda. The community of around 3,000 inhabitants is facing a massive wave of gastrointestinal illnesses, as reported by "La Repubblica".

It is estimated that half of the population is affected: Hundreds of people have had to be hospitalized. The local authorities are almost incapable of taking action due to the high number of cases.

The mayor of Torri del Benaco, Stefano Nicotra, has therefore turned to the city of Verona for support in order to maintain the local infrastructure. The cause of the large-scale outbreak is still unclear, but it is suspected that contaminated drinking water is playing a role.

For this reason, the municipality has issued an ordinance prohibiting the use of tap water for drinking and food preparation. Large quantities of bottled water in plastic bottles were delivered to Torri del Benaco to secure the water supply.

Heavy rain as the cause?

In addition, the water pipes were treated with chlorine to kill off any bacteria and viruses. The municipality published photos of trucks delivering pallets of drinking water and called on citizens to wash and disinfect their hands regularly.

The norovirus, known for its highly contagious gastrointestinal infections, spreads quickly from person to person. There is no vaccination against the virus, which is why communal facilities such as barracks, homes and hospitals are particularly susceptible to outbreaks. However, it is unusual for an entire community to be affected.

One possible trigger for the outbreak could be the unusually heavy rainfall in recent weeks. Lake Garda, from which the municipality draws its drinking water, is currently carrying significantly more water than usual. The water level in Peschiera, in the south of the lake, was recently 1.46 meters above hydrometric zero - a level last reached in 1977. It is possible that sewage was able to enter the lake because the pipes were overwhelmed by the masses of water.