The 2022 West Nile Virus Season in Greece; A Quite Intense Season.

Since 2010, the West Nile virus (WNV) has been established in Greece. We describe the epidemiology of diagnosed human WNV infections in Greece with a focus on the 2022 season. During the transmission period, clinicians were sending samples from suspected cases for testing. Active laboratory-based surveillance was performed with immediate notification of diagnosed cases. We collected clinical information and interviewed patients on a timely basis to identify their place of exposure. Besides serological and molecular diagnostic methods, next-generation sequencing was also performed. In 2022, 286 cases of WNV infection were diagnosed, including 278 symptomatic cases and 184 (64%) cases with neuroinvasive disease (WNND); 33 patients died. This was the third most intense season concerning the number of WNND cases, following 2018 and 2010. Most (96%) cases were recorded in two regions, in northern and central Greece. The virus strain was a variant of previous years, clustering into the Central European subclade of WNV lineage 2. The 2022 WNV season was quite intense in Greece. The prompt diagnosis and investigation of cases are considered pivotal for the timely response, while the availability of whole genome sequences enables studies on the molecular epidemiology of the disease.

Human Brucellosis in Greece, 2005-2020: A Persistent Public Health Problem.

Brucellosis remains an important zoonosis in various parts of the world. In Greece, brucellosis is endemic in sheep and goats. Since 1998, animal control measures include vaccination of sheep and goats older than 3 months of age in the mainland (vaccination zone) and slaughtering of infected livestock on the islands (eradication zone). We retrieved data from the mandatory notification system for 2005-2020 to describe the epidemiology in humans and assess current public health measures. Overall, 1786 notifications and an additional 111 cases related to an outbreak in 2008 (eradication zone) were recorded. The mean annual notification rate was 0.9/100,000 population (standard deviation [SD]: 0.35). A substantial mean annual decline in notification rate was reported in 2019 and 2020. A statistically significant decreasing trend of brucellosis notification rate was observed over the whole 16-year period (p < 0.001). The mean annual notification rate was significantly higher in the vaccination zone (1.2/100,000) (SD: 036) compared with the eradication zone (0.2/100,000) (SD: 0.14) (p < 0.001). Seventy percent of cases was male (n = 1175) and the highest mean notification rate was recorded in the 45-64 age group (1.3/100,000). The majority of cases (71%) reported animal contact and almost half of the cases (49%) were stockbreeders by occupation. Consumption of unpasteurized dairy products, mainly of their own production, was reported by 57% of cases; for 115 (6.5%) cases, animal exposure or consumption of unpasteurized dairy products were not recorded. Despite animal control measures, brucellosis remains endemic in Greece with cases in the vaccination zone, as well as the eradication zone. We recommend re-evaluation and strengthening of animal control programs and training of people working in stock breeding regarding disease transmission in co-operation with local farmers' associations.