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. 2025 May;31(5):1057-1059.
doi: 10.3201/eid3105.241790. Epub 2025 Apr 18.

Increased Pneumonia-Related Emergency Department Visits, Northern Italy

Simone Villa, Manuel Maffeo, Mauro Maistrello, Giorgio Bagarella, Vincenzo Navobi Porrello, Federica Morani, Francesco Scovenna, Fausto Baldanti, Paolo Bonfanti, Elena Pariani, Andrea Gori, Luigi Vezzosi, Gabriele Del Castillo, Sabrina Buoro, Danilo Cereda

Increased Pneumonia-Related Emergency Department Visits, Northern Italy

Simone Villa et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2025 May.

Abstract

An increase in pneumonia-related emergency department visits was observed in Lombardy, northern Italy, during June-October 2024. Viral causes appear insufficient to explain the increase, suggesting a bacterial cause. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Bordetella pertussis emerged as possible causes when other surveillance systems were consulted, but the reasons behind this trend remain unknown.

Keywords: Bordetella pertussis; Italy; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; bacteria; outbreak; pneumonia; syndromic surveillance.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Increasing number of pneumonia-related emergency department visits for all causes, northern Italy, June–October 2024, compared with previous 3 years. A) Weekly number of pneumonia-associated emergency department visits across all patients. B) Weekly number of pneumonia-associated emergency department visits by age group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Increasing number of pneumonia-related emergency department visits for Mycoplasma pneumoniae (A) and pertussis (B), by age group, northern Italy, June–October 2024. Cases were notified by the regional infectious disease surveillance systems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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