Epidemiology of human leishmaniasis in Greece, 1981-2011.

Leishmaniasis is endemic and mandatorily notifiable in Greece. Epidemiological surveillance data for leishmaniasis in Greece between 1981 and 2011 are presented. In 1998, the notification system began distinguishing between visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. The mean annual incidence of reported leishmaniasis cases between 1998 and 2011 was 0.36 per 100,000 population. Of a total 563 leishmaniasis cases reported after 1998, 523 (93%) were visceral leishmaniasis cases. Incidence of reported visceral leishmaniasis cases fluctuated during this period, generally decreasing after 2007, with a small re-increase in 2011. The mean annual incidence rate of reported visceral leishmaniasis cases was significantly higher in less than four year-olds (p <0.001). Leishmaniasis cases occurred both in the country mainland and islands. Between 1998 and 2011, Attica concentrated almost half of the reported visceral leishmaniasis cases, with incidence rates in western Attica and western Athens above 12.00 per 100,000 population. Compared to visceral leishmaniasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis had a rather sporadic distribution, with many prefectures appearing free of cases. From 2004, the notification also included risk factors and of 287 cases with known immune status, 44 (15%) were immunocompromised. Moreover having a dog at home was reported by 209 of 312 leishmaniasis cases (67%), whereas 229 of 307 cases (75%) reported the presence of stray dogs near their residence. Linking clinical surveillance data with laboratory data and improving collaboration with the veterinary public health sector are some of the future challenges for leishmaniasis surveillance in Greece.

Influenza surveillance during the post-pandemic influenza 2010/11 season in Greece, 04 October 2010 to 22 May 2011.

In this manuscript, we summarise the experience of Greece during the post-pandemic influenza season 2010/11 from 04 October 2010 to 22 May 2011. The spread of the disease and its impact were monitored using multiple surveillance systems, such as sentinel surveillance, virological surveillance and all-cause mortality surveillance. We also focus on the characteristics of laboratory-confirmed severe influenza cases who required admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n=368), and/or with a fatal outcome (n=180). The influenza-like illness rate reported from sentinel surveillance started rising in early January 2011 and peaked between 31 January and 6 February 2011. The total number of ICU admissions was higher in the post-pandemic influenza season than during the pandemic period causing a lot of pressure on ICUs. The overall population mortality rate due to influenza A(H1N1)2009 was higher than during the pandemic period (15.9 vs 13.2 fatal cases per million, p=0.087). Our data suggest that the severity of clinical illness in the first post-pandemic influenza season was comparable or even higher than during the pandemic.

Spotlight on measles 2010: ongoing measles outbreak in Greece, January-July 2010.

A measles outbreak (126 reported cases to date) has been ongoing in Greece, since January 2010, originally related to the recent outbreak in Bulgaria. Cases are mostly unvaccinated, and mainly belong to three groups: Roma population of Bulgarian nationality, Greek Roma population, and Greek non-minority population. In these population groups, 67%, 95%, and 25% of cases respectively were children aged 0-14 years. Measures were taken to raise clinical awareness, and vaccination of specific population groups was undertaken. Policies are necessary to increase routine vaccination uptake of hard-to-reach groups.

Sero epidemiology of Bordetella pertussis immune responses in a healthy population in northern Greece.

A seroepidemiological study was conducted on a representative sample of the northern Greek population (healthy individuals, age range=1 day to 80 years) to assess the prevalence of antibodies to pertussis toxin (PT) and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA). Antibody concentrations were significantly elevated with age (analysis of variance (ANOVA), P<0.001). In addition, a significant increase in antibody levels was detected in subjects >50 years old compared to children aged 5-10 years (post-hoc Scheffe analysis, P=0.007). These data suggest that pertussis occurs frequently in Greek adults, and that sometimes a fifth booster vaccine dose is not given after the second year of life. Routine revaccination with the acellular vaccine for children >4 years of age, adolescents, and adults should be considered in order to ensure effective protection of the whole population.