A Swedish delegation consisting of the veterinarians Jan Chirico (National Veterinary Institute), Linda Ernholm (National Veterinary Institute), Martin Holmberg (National Board of Health and Welfare), Anna-Lena How (National Board of Health and Welfare) and Marika Hjertqvist (Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control) visited the Institute on 8-9 September 2011.

The aim of this visit was to provide the delegation with a general overview of the West Nile virus surveillance and control systems adopted in Italy. Istituto G. Caporale is in fact one of the leading international authorities on West Nile virus, being both an OIE Reference Laboratory for this disease and the National Reference Centre for exotic animal diseases.