Monitoring the West-Nile virus outbreaks in Italy using open-access data

Abstract

This paper introduces a comprehensive and original database on West Nile virus (WNV) outbreaks that have occurred in Italy from September 2012 to November 2022. We have digitized bulletins published by the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) to demonstrate the potential utilization of this data for the research community. Our aim is to establish a centralized open-access repository that facilitates analysis and monitoring of the disease. We have collected and curated data on the type of infected host, along with additional information whenever available, including the type of infection, age, and geographic details at different levels of spatial aggregation. By combining our data with other sources of information such as weather data, it becomes possible to assess potential relationships between WNV outbreaks and environmental factors. We strongly believe in supporting public oversight of government epidemic management, and we emphasize that open data plays a crucial role in generating reliable results by enabling greater transparency.