Dengue virus transmission in Italy: surveillance and epidemiological trends up to 2023

Dengue virus circulation is on the rise globally with increased epidemic activity in previously unaffected countries, including within the European region. In 2023, global dengue activity peaked, and Italy reported the highest number of dengue cases and local chains of transmission to date. By curating several sources of information, we introduce a novel data repository focused on dengue reporting in Italy. We integrate geographic, epidemiological, genomic and climatic spatio-temporal data to present an overview of transmission patterns of the past eight years related to circulating viral lineages, geographic distribution, hotspots of reporting, and the theoretical contribution of local climate. This study contributes to a better understanding of the evolving scenario in Italy, with the potential to inform reassessment and planning of adequate national and European public health strategies to manage the emergence of dengue. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement Not Applicable ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes