Officials in Italy are struggling to contain an outbreak of the Coronavirus disease in the country, with fears that the southern Mediterranean state could be the gateway for pandemic into Europe

At least 12 people have died of the virus so far in Italy, with 374 infections confirmed at the time of publication. 

That means Italy has the third-highest number of cases of any country, behind only China, which is the source of the outbreak, and South Korea.

The sudden hike in the number of people infected with the virus in Italy has forced many to ask whether it failed to take adequate preventative measures.

Here’s what you should know about the crisis:

The outbreak originated in northern Italy

The initial cases in Italy broke out in the northern regions of the country, with Lombardy and Veneto most affected. While the majority of Italian cases seem to be in these regions, there are confirmed cases outside the areas, including as far away as Sicily.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has tried to allay fears by reassuring citizens that the country has high-quality healthcare and preventative measures. Nevertheless, a hospital in the town of Codogno has accepted that blunders in treating initial transmissions had helped contribute to the spread of the virus.

There are currently 10 Italian towns under quarantine.

There is a risk of transmission beyond Italy

Despite quarantine, the virus has spread beyond northern Italy and Italian cases are believed to be responsible for infecting others outside of the country.

The two affected regions, Lombardy and Veneto, border Switzerland and Austria respectively.

Each of those countries has reported at least one case each, tracing back to Italian travellers.

Around 1,000 tourists in Spain’s Canary Islands are under lockdown after coming into contact with an Italian doctor infected with the virus.

Cases as far away as Brazil and Algeria are believed to have been linked to Italy.

How are European countries reacting?

Italy’s Schengen border with European neighbours remains open despite the outbreak.

The French health minister has said closing the border with Italy would be “unthinkable and ineffective” during a meeting of health ministers in Rome.

Nevertheless, France has advised against unnecessary travel to the regions affected and has warned school children returning from trips to Italy to not come into classes.

Bulgaria’s national carrier has stopped flights to Milan for at least a month but beyond these measures, European states have imposed few restrictions.

Turkey has strongly advised against travelling to Italy and Iraq, unless absolutely necessary.

The economic impact could be huge

The outbreak of Coronavirus in Italy has coincided with a global fall in stock prices as airlines cancel flights and tourists stay put to avoid the threat of infection.

Benchmark indexes fell globally as news of the outbreak taking a foothold in Europe broke.