In total, more than 900 cases of norovirus have been reported in the Torri del Benaco area on the eastern shore of Lake Garda. The virus probably spread through drinking water. Italian media, for their part, speculate that the high water level of Lake Garda caused a malfunction in the sewage system, facilitating the transmission of the virus.
The mayor of the municipality, Stefano Nicotra, has called on residents of the area to stop drinking tap water and not to use it for cooking or cleaning. Traces of the virus had been found in drinking water last Friday, but more recent tests have come back negative.
Torri del Benaco has only 3,000 inhabitants, but it welcomes many holidaymakers at the start of the summer season. Symptoms of a norovirus infection, which include sudden diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, appear 24 to 48 hours after contamination. They disappear spontaneously after a few days. The virus, which is highly contagious, can be transmitted from person to person, through contaminated water and food, or via droplets in the air.
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