A Pilot COVID-19 Surveillance Program at the Zendrini Center in Milan (Italy) for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors
Stefano Tambuzzi,
Marco Cummaudo,
Lidia Maggioni,
Stefania Tritella,
Barbara Lucchesi,
Paola Montedoro,
Immacolata Agostinelli,
Sofia Trezzi,
Antonella Maria Costantino,
Rossana Mazzoni,
Michela Marognoli,
Pasquale Poppa,
Danilo De Angelis,
Cristina Cattaneo
Affiliations
Stefano Tambuzzi
LABANOF (Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense), Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Mangiagalli 37 Street, 20133 Milan, Italy
Marco Cummaudo
LABANOF (Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense), Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Mangiagalli 37 Street, 20133 Milan, Italy
Lidia Maggioni
LABANOF (Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense), Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Mangiagalli 37 Street, 20133 Milan, Italy
Stefania Tritella
Unit of Radiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Rodolfo Morandi 30 Street, 20097 San Donato Milanese, Italy
Barbara Lucchesi
Zendrini Centre, Municipality of Milan, Bernardino Zendrini 15 Street, 20147 Milan, Italy
Paola Montedoro
Zendrini Centre, Municipality of Milan, Bernardino Zendrini 15 Street, 20147 Milan, Italy
Immacolata Agostinelli
Zendrini Centre, Municipality of Milan, Bernardino Zendrini 15 Street, 20147 Milan, Italy
Sofia Trezzi
U.O.N.P.I.A., Operative Unit of Neuropsychiatry of Childhood and Adolescence, IRCCS Fondazione Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Festa del Perdono 7 Street, 20122 Milan, Italy
Antonella Maria Costantino
U.O.N.P.I.A., Operative Unit of Neuropsychiatry of Childhood and Adolescence, IRCCS Fondazione Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Festa del Perdono 7 Street, 20122 Milan, Italy
Rossana Mazzoni
U.O.N.P.I.A., Operative Unit of Neuropsychiatry of Childhood and Adolescence, IRCCS Fondazione Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Festa del Perdono 7 Street, 20122 Milan, Italy
Michela Marognoli
Zendrini Centre, Municipality of Milan, Bernardino Zendrini 15 Street, 20147 Milan, Italy
Pasquale Poppa
LABANOF (Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense), Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Mangiagalli 37 Street, 20133 Milan, Italy
Danilo De Angelis
LABANOF (Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense), Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Mangiagalli 37 Street, 20133 Milan, Italy
Cristina Cattaneo
LABANOF (Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense), Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Mangiagalli 37 Street, 20133 Milan, Italy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, not only crowded refugee camps and immigration detention centers, but also receptions were places in which outbreaks occurred. To date there has been no report of the application of a COVID-19 surveillance system in reception centers for unaccompanied foreign minors only, who most of all deserve the utmost attention. Aware of this critical issue, we implemented a pilot COVID-19 surveillance program at the Zendrini center in Milan. It was started in September 2021 and was carried out for 4 months. Nasopharyngeal antigenic swabs were adopted. One day a week, two forensic physicians performed the first antigenic swab to minors who had just entered the center, or a monitoring swab after 15 days to those who were still hosted at the center. Operators were also swabbed for surveillance. A total of 80 subjects were enrolled and divided into 68 (72.5%) unaccompanied foreign minors and 22 (27.5%) operators. A total of 178 antigenic nasopharyngeal swabs were performed and tested negative. Regarding the monitoring activities, it was found that the minimum number of swabs per subject was 1 and the maximum number was 7, with an average value of 2.2 per individual. Having been able to confirm the absence of SARS-CoV-2 within the community represented a way to protect individual and collective health that could not have been pursued otherwise. Only inclusive approaches can allow communities and societies to respond more effectively to this crisis, and reduce the risk of future ones, intended as both upcoming COVID-19 waves and new infectious diseases.
