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Subscribe to RSSGreek authorities must urgently step up control of mosquitoes and surveillance of infected people to stop malaria from re-establishing itself in the crisis-hit country, scientists said on Friday.
Writing in online journal Eurosurveillance, they said recent outbreaks of the disease in the southern regions of Lakonia and East Attica were worrying.
Tackling malaria requires measures such as insecticide spraying, eliminating standing water and tracking mosquito populations as well as people infected with the disease.
"It is clear that surveillance and vector control programs should be strengthened and rapidly intensified," said the study, led by researchers at the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP) in Athens.
Greece's healthcare system is under extreme pressure from budget cuts, and experts fear groups such as the poor, unemployed or homeless, many of them immigrants, are not getting treatment they need.
Malaria, which causes high fever and chills and kills hundreds of thousands of people a year worldwide, was once endemic in Greece but was officially eliminated in 1974.
Most cases since then have been imported by travelers, mainly from Africa and Asia.
But Greece has established populations of potentially malarial mosquito species, and last year, 40 cases of locally-acquired malaria were reported, mainly in Lakonia and Attica.
Between January 1 and October 22 this year Greece reported 75 cases in total, 16 of which were locally acquired.
Other mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus carried by Culex modestus mosquitoes, also occur in Greece.
Apostolos Veizis, director of medical-operational support for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Greece, warned in a statement earlier this month that any malaria plan could not work properly unless access to healthcare was available to all.
"It is very important to monitor the situation and invest in mosquito control," he said. "But medically speaking if people cannot be examined and properly diagnosed, it's easy to lose sight of the problem."
The HCDCP experts said a coordinated effort had begun with the collaboration of Greek authorities, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and World Health Organisation (WHO) experts to prevent malaria returning.
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This is what happens when health care and other public services are cut and those who need it most are left out. It is time to take action now and not allow epidemics to take hold. That lack of access is what got this disease restarted in the the first place, along with lack of spraying and standing water.
This is what happens when a large minority of affluent civilians game the tax system en masse, hiding assets, not declaring legitimate property values, creating a cottage industry exploiting lax tax codes and loopholes, this coupled with a labor class who vote themselves short work weeks, insanely early retirement ages and fat lifelong pensions that no economy, regardless of how healthy, could support in perpetuity. When both breeds of this hog have finally emptied the trough there will be no money for basic government functions such as the one called for in this story: eradicating and keeping at bay a mosquito born illness that most developed countries eliminated decades ago. This story goes along way in highlighting a truism of socities, governments and human nature: we deserve the government we vote into office.
This is just another sign that Greece is now a third world country and falling fast.
And with the name of the guy in charge, Apostolos Veizis, bearing striking resemblance to the scientific name of many malaria spreading mosquitos (Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles funestus, Anopheles gambiae) I can't help but worry that he might be a product of Iran's nuclear aspirations aka mutant with mosquito genes sympathetic to the mosquitos and sent to further destroy the eurozone.
NBC should take this story and run; j/k.
Oh, so humanity as we know it can revert back.
this is what happens when illegal immagrants are uncontroled and allowed to invade other countries.
Tweets from Obama, you're a moron. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes, it doesn't have a human-to-human vector. Oh, I forgot...that science stuff is a left-wing conspiracy, isn't it?
This is what happens when you stop mosquito control efforts to save a little bit of money. DDT use was #1 reason malaria was eradicated in most developed countries decades ago. Now it is back, even here in US. We need another cheap an effective insecticide that hopefully will not have the drawbacks of DDT. DDT is still used on a small scale in some countries.
It doesn't take long for diseases like that to spread across Europe.
Greece has been decimated by its labor class voting itself short work weeks, insanely early retirement ages and fat lifelong pensions that no economy, regardless of how healthy, could ever sustrain.
Greece's OLD PEOPLE spent their lives voting to extend their lives and enrich their retirements by robbing their children to the point of drastically shortening their lives. The dying is now beginning.
Similar epidemics costing many tens of thousands of lives are in the future for the US; especially for the young. Thanks a lot OLD PEOPLE. Enjoy the SS checks which your children will not enjoy in their old age.
Nice job appropriating my writing above for your own purposes. Is plagiarism one of your pasttimes?
Greece has been decimated by the growing number of illiterate, unemployed immigrants who use resources from the system that they have never paid into. Italy isn't far behind.
How about if you want to retire you save for it instead of stealing money from your grandkids?
Stealing it from your grandkids?? So, You're saying the 'old people' have never paid into the tax system there? Your pay 45% taxes on $120,000.00 a year. I think that it is their money - not their children's or grandchildren's.
Robtzu: Has anyone ever given you a basic explanation of how Social Security works? Your ignorance is breathtaking. People taking Social Security put that money into the system. They are simply taking their own money out.
TraceyS thats funny right there. I bet you believe in Santa Claus and the easter bunny too. Taking out their own money. Its a paygo system not a savings account. Its also actuarially unsound to boot. Get past your school house rock view of government.
Robtzu: So you're saying people who paid into social security for years should just shrug and say, "Oh, well"?
No. They got hosed pretty good. They got robbed, then got fed false promises. Promises they built they retirement around. However, forcing the next generation to pay for the sins of the generation two past is morally wrong. Young workers did not make the false promises. Young workers did not vote social security into being. But it is young workers who will pay. The only options left is what brand of terd polish we want to use.
This is a HORRIFIC SITUATION and the United States has a great opportunity of scoring a 1,000 points of goodwill with the people of Greece and the government of Greece.
All that this corrupt, inept congress of ours has to do is to send over the airplanes, equipment and personnel along with the insecticide and help the people of Greece in this EXTREMELY CRITICAL SITUATION.
Lets see what our stupid congress does.
Scoring 1,000 points of goodwill with Greece? What will that get us? This "horrific situation" they're facing is at least due in large part to their own government ineptitude, not some natural disaster over which they had no control. When they can't continue basic health services due to the austerity measures in effect, trust me, this is only the start of their problems, most of it self-inflicted. I'm not saying we shouldn't feel bad for the people over there who are bearing the brunt of it, but jeez, when are we going to stop riding to everyone's rescue at the expense of our own horrific situations? A looming fiscal cliff (now THERE'S where your "stupid congress" line is applicable), a growing poverty population, an aging infrastructure that no one wants to improve until the next disaster comes along...what about US?!?
West Nile virus is nothing to sneeze at either. I don't know about the rest of the country but in the south it is getting bad. I caught it from mosquito bites while fishing, my joints were swollen up knees, wrists, hands it was bad.
The only way Greece can be saved is to attack some US facilities. We will then send in our Secretary of State who will sprinkle the country with money and green cards to win their love and respect.
its gods punishment to Greeks for having names that are 25 letters long and impossible to pronounce
Utamegie25, you are sooooo wrong.....lmao!!!!
I had the misfortune of working for a greek-owned family business years ago. I'm sure if the customers, the partners, the suppliers, and the people I worked with had one thing to say about Greek business owners - and the current situation in Greece - it would be: "WE GET IT" lol
What a f***in nightmare that was
Let that country twist in the wind
Aethlon Medical of SanDiego has filtration system to delete West Nile Virus from the blood....many other viruses plus cancer exosomes...R&D currently in large hospitals in India
Aethlon Medical of SanDiego has filtration system to delete West Nile Virus from the blood....many other viruses plus cancer exosomes...R&D currently in large hospitals in India
Coming soon to the United States after Obama collapses the economy.
EU needs to kick out every single Illegal Immigrant from the continent.
There will be pestilences.
I was stationed there near Athens, Great place to visit wouldn't want to live there. Especially, now with the
Euro and the so called national healthcare. It didn't seem that great, the hospital looked run down. I' rather
pay for my Kaiser plan.
Please don't go ape with the DDT or it's replacement. We (the US after WWII) killed all the bees on Sicilly and the flowering plants died out.
Us in 10 years after we are pushed into Obama care
"Greece's healthcare system is under extreme pressure from budget cuts"