The Tuscany virus: what it is and how to protect yourself from infection

The Toscana virus is an infection that is still little known to the general public, but it is not new in Italia. It is transmitted by sandflies, which are most active between July and September. It has been in the news recently following a social media post by singer-songwriter Tommaso Paradiso, who had to cancel two summer gigs whilst recovering from the Toscana virus. Experts at the Italian National Institute of Health emphasise the importance of raising awareness of the disease and have published a set of FAQs on the infection on their website.

In 2025, the surveillance programme coordinated by the ISS recorded 115 locally acquired cases and one imported case, whilst in 2024 there were 238 locally acquired cases and 503 imported cases. A study analysed the 607 cases of severe neuroinvasive infection reported to the surveillance system between 2016 and 2023. During the same period, there were also two deaths attributable to the infection. Almost half, 276, were reported in the two-year period 2022–2023, with a much higher incidence rate for this period compared with the previous one. As regards the seasonality of the virus, cases usually occur from May to November, peaking in August. Of the 607 cases, approximately 70 per cent occurred in males. Between 2020 and 2023, the years for which clinical details are available, of the 372 cases of neuro-invasive infection, 17.8% presented with meningoencephalitis, 32.5% with encephalitis, 48.1% with meningitis, 1.1% had polyneuropathy and 0.5% had both meningitis and polyneuropathy.

Seasons characterised by extreme or abnormal weather conditions are linked to the frequency with which the disease occurs; these include 2018, 2022 and 2023.

For the time being, the main preventive measure against the spread of arboviral diseases, as explained by ISS experts, is to reduce exposure to vectors during the period when transmission is most likely (May–October). It is advisable to protect yourself from bites and prevent them from breeding easily by using repellents and wearing long trousers and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors, especially at dawn and dusk, as well as by fitting mosquito nets to windows and staying in air-conditioned environments.

The incubation period of the disease is usually 3–7 days, but can last up to 2 weeks and is related to the viral load of the infecting bite. Most human TOSV infections are asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic. The most commonly reported clinical symptoms are: fever, headache, and nausea/vomiting, with a sudden onset; these tend to resolve spontaneously on average after about 7 days without the need for medical attention and are therefore rarely diagnosed.