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20 July 2005
The presence of toxic algae has caused the closure of a popular beach in Italy. The event highlights the need for good holiday insurance cover as holidaymakers need to protect themselves against incidents even if they think they are travelling to trusted destinations such as Italy.
The holiday resort close to the northern Italian city of Genoa was shutdown following the discovery of a microscopic alga, identified as Ostreopsis ovata.
Twelve people were taken to hospital as a safety precaution, while around 80 bathers were treated at the scene.
Although it's currently unclear whether those affected were locals or tourists, the medical bills are likely to have built up for those that weren't wise enough to secure adequate holiday insurance before departure.
Ostreopsis ovata usually lives on the bottom of tropical seas, but can rise to the surface when blooming and releases a neurotoxin into the local environment causing fever, nausea and coughing fits to those who come into contact with the toxin.
"It is the first time we have seen such an anomalous concentration of this algae in Liguria," said Federico Grasso, a spokesman for the regional environmental protection agency.
"It has been very hot recently and the sea has been very calm, which probably encouraged this phenomenon."
The beach is expected to remain closed until further tests are carried out.
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