West Nile virus in humans, Greece, 2018: the largest seasonal number of cases, 9 years after its emergence in the country.

BackgroundHuman cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection are recorded since 2010 in Greece, with seasonal outbreaks occurring almost annually. Enhanced surveillance has been implemented since 2010, to promptly characterise cases' temporal and geographical distribution and inform authorities for implementation of appropriate measures (mosquito control, health education, blood safety).AimWe describe the epidemiology of WNV human infections in Greece focusing on the 2018 season.

Infectious disease surveillance system descriptors: proposal for a comprehensive set.

To tailor a surveillance system to its objectives and to evaluate its fitness for purpose, an accurate description of its structural elements is essential. Existing recommendations for setting up a system seldom offer a comprehensive list of all surveillance elements to be considered. Moreover, there is sometimes confusion in the way terms describing these elements are interpreted.

Increase of breast-feeding in the past decade in Greece, but still low uptake: cross-sectional studies in 2007 and 2017.

Objective: To estimate breast-feeding prevalence in Greece in 2007 and 2017, compare breast-feeding indicators and maternity hospital practices between these years, and investigate breast-feeding determinants.

Design: Two national cross-sectional studies (2007 and 2017) using systematic cluster sampling of babies with the same sampling design, data collection and analysis methodology.

Setting: Telephone interview with babies' mothers or fathers.

Adverse effect of the financial crisis in Greece on perinatal factors.

Background: Starting in 2008 recession affected many European countries and especially Greece. Previous studies have reported increases in low birth weight, preterm birth and stillbirth rates in Greece during early crisis. In our study we used data on births from 1980 to 2014 that allowed us to distinguish recent changes, which could possibly be attributed to the financial crisis, from long term trends, and controlled for maternal age and country of origin as potential confounders.

Clinical assessment is a neglected component of outbreak preparedness: evidence from refugee camps in Greece.

Background: Refugees may have an increased vulnerability to infectious diseases, and the consequences of an outbreak are more severe in a refugee camp. When an outbreak is suspected, access to clinical information is critical for investigators to verify that an outbreak is occurring, to determine the cause and to select interventions to control it. Experience from previous outbreaks suggests that the accuracy and completeness of this information is poor.

Socioeconomical Factors Associated With Pediculosis (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) in Athens, Greece.

Pediculosis in humans and especially in children is a very common dermatological disorder caused by the ectoparasite Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer. We investigated the socioeconomic factors affecting the prevalence of pediculosis in the Greek urban area of Athens during 2004-2006. The target population consisted of children from kindergartens.

Cluster of late preterm and term neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis symptomatology: descriptive and case-control study.

Objective: To investigate a necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) cluster of late preterm and term neonates (gestational age ≥34 weeks).

Methods: We conducted a descriptive and a case-control study. Medical records of neonates with modified Bell stage ≥ IB NEC and matched controls were reviewed, in addition to microbiological and environmental investigation.

Evaluation of a West Nile virus surveillance and early warning system in Greece, based on domestic pigeons.

In the summer of 2010 an epidemic of West Nile virus (WNV) occurred in Central Macedonia, Greece, with 197 human neuroinvasive disease (WNND) cases. In the following years the virus spread to new areas, with a total of 76 WNND cases in 2011, and 109 WNND cases in 2012 (14 and 12 WNND cases, respectively, in Central Macedonia). We established a surveillance system based on serological testing of domestic pigeons, using cELISA confirmed by serum neutralization test.

Evaluation of tuberculosis underreporting in Greece through comparison with anti-tuberculosis drug consumption.

Surveillance is an integral part of tuberculosis (TB) control. Greece has a low TB notification rate, but there are doubts about underreporting. Examining anti-TB drug consumption is a way to validate the results of surveillance and estimate TB burden in the country.

Outbreak of West Nile virus infection in Greece, 2010.

During 2010, an outbreak of West Nile virus infection occurred in Greece. A total of 197 patients with neuroinvasive disease were reported, of whom 33 (17%) died. Advanced age and a history of heart disease were independently associated with death, emphasizing the need for prevention of this infection in persons with these risk factors.

Persistence of West Nile virus immunoglobulin M antibodies, Greece.

A major outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) lineage 2 infections was observed in 2010 in Greece. In order to check the persistence of WNV IgM antibodies, a second serum sample taken 75-180 days after onset of the illness from 29 patients with WNV infection was tested. A third sample was obtained 181-270 days after onset of the illness from 8 of the 12 patients with IgM-positive second sample.

Respiratory viruses involved in influenza-like illness in a Greek pediatric population during the winter period of the years 2005-2008.

Viruses are the major cause of pediatric respiratory tract infection and yet many suspected cases of illness remain uncharacterized. This study aimed to determine the distribution of several respiratory viruses in children diagnosed as having influenza-like illness, over the winter period of 2005-2008. Molecular assays including conventional and real time PCR protocols, were employed to screen respiratory specimens, collected by clinicians of the Influenza sentinel system and of outpatient pediatric clinics, for identification of several respiratory viruses.

Estimating the disease burden of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) from surveillance and household surveys in Greece.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the disease burden of the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) in Greece.

Methodology/principal Findings: Data on influenza-like illness (ILI), collected through cross-sectional nationwide telephone surveys of 1,000 households in Greece repeated for 25 consecutive weeks, were combined with data from H1N1 virologic surveillance to estimate the incidence and the clinical attack rate (CAR) of influenza A(H1N1). Alternative definitions of ILI (cough or sore throat and fever>38°C [ILI-38] or fever 37.

Fatal cases associated with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) reported in Greece.

Between 18 May 2009 and 3 May 2010, a total of 149 fatal cases associated with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) were reported in Greece. Detailed case-based epidemiological information was available for the large majority of fatal cases. The time distribution follows an epidemic curve with a peak in the beginning of December 2009 and a second peak one month later.

An outbreak of gastroenteritis linked to seafood consumption in a remote Northern Aegean island, February-March 2010.

Introduction: Raw seafood consumption has frequently been linked to gastroenteritis and Norovirus is a common cause. In February and March 2010, there was an increase cases of gastroenteritis on the remote island of Agios Efstratios in the Northern Aegean Sea, Greece. A massive increase in seafood consumption associated with a religious festival a few days prior to the outbreak suggested seafood as the vehicle of transmission.

Predictive value of increased nuchal translucency as a screening test for the detection of fetal chromosomal abnormalities.

Objective: The study aimed to estimate the incidence of increased nuchal translucency in the first trimester ultrasound scan results (cut-off limit 2.5 mm) and to evaluate the predictive value of increased nuchal translucency as a screening test for the detection of fetal chromosomal abnormalities.

Methods: We used the ultrasound scan results of nuchal translucency evaluation and the results of chromosomal analysis of the invasive prenatal control performed as a result of increased nuchal translucency.