Inf-Act Net, Italian watchdogs for potential outbreaks

Federico Forneris, Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Pavia, Italy, and President of the ‘Inf-Act Foundation,’ has announced the results of the ‘Inf-Act’ project. This is a network comprising Italian research institutions focused on emerging epidemics around the world. The findings of this three-year project, which has consolidated the efforts of numerous scientists and the financial resources obtained from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, will be examined during the ‘Inf-Act Conference 2025’, scheduled to take place in Naples from April 3rd to 5th. At this conference, specialists will deliberate on the challenges presented by emerging infectious diseases, including outbreaks of Echovirus 11 (E11), Oropouche virus, and zoonotic viruses, such as those responsible for avian influenza (H5N1). The network consists primarily of chemists, biologists, researchers from academia, the CNR, and other relevant institutions. They have established a system to identify, characterise and monitor the progression of potential epidemics on a global scale, employing a ‘One Health’ approach and involving experimental zooprophylactic institutes that study environmental pollution and the spread of potential pathogens in animals. The ‘Inf-Act’ network can isolate and identify the potential pathogen and transmit the information to all the competent bodies, with a readiness that goes beyond the 2019-2020 biennium, as Forneris assured Adnkronos Salute. This is thanks to the combination of predictive methods based on artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge technologies.