Community waterborne outbreak linked to a firefighting response during the COVID-19 emergency.

BACKGROUND: On 6 March 2020, a big fire in a village forced the firefighters to draw water simultaneously from many sources, including the Adige river. From 9 March, an increasing number of inhabitants reported gastrointestinal symptoms. We describe the outbreak and the challenges linked to the concurrent COVID-19 spread. METHODS: Residents with enteric symptoms and their relatives were interviewed and samples from some of the patients and public water pipelines were tested for enteric pathogens with microbiological and molecular methods. RESULTS: By 20 March, 182 people reported symptoms and 131 met the case definition. Norovirus GI/GII and other pathogens were found in human and water samples. CONCLUSIONS: Contamination of the public water network with sewage-contaminated river water through the firefighters pressurized water tank was the suspected source of the outbreak. The investigation was partly hampered due to the SARS-CoV-2 emergency. Control measures included avoiding tap water, alternative water supplies and chlorination of public water.

Healthcare worker's attitude to seasonal influenza vaccination in the South Tyrolean province of Italy: barriers and facilitators.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) is an effective and safe way to prevent influenza. Public health institutions around the world consequently recommend SIV to certain groups at risk, including healthcare worker's (HCWs). Even if SIV is free of charge, the vaccination coverage rate remains low, however. The aim of this study was to gain information on the sociodemographics, lifestyle and knowledge of HCWs associated with their attitude to SIV, also investigating the differences between different professional categories of HCW. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted over six consecutive weeks from October to December 2016. It was based on an anonymous online questionnaire administered to all employees (N = 9633) of the South Tyrolean Health Service. Coverage rates and attitudes to SIV were assessed by type of HCW. A logistic regression analysis was run to test the associations between SIV in the winter of 2015/2016 and potential predictors of the HCWs' attitude to vaccination. RESULTS: In all, 4091 employees (42.4% of the total) took part in the study. Statistically significant differences emerged between the different healthcare professions in terms of their reported vaccination rates and their attitudes to SIV. Among the different types of HCW, physicians had the highest rate of vaccination uptake. There were sociocultural and lifestyle factors associated with SIV in HCWs, as well as these worker's professional roles and the ward where they worked. All the professionals agreed that specific training was the best way to improve HCW vaccination rates. CONCLUSION: Low compliance with SIV among HCWs is attributable to numerous factors, some of which relate to their attitude to health issues. Commitment and accountability to patients and society should be further developed in HCWs. Specific training and information, also through informal scientific channels, should be provided to improve their knowledge of influenza and attitude to vaccination.