Ongoing outbreak of West Nile virus infections in humans in Greece, July – August 2010

A Papa; K Danis; A Baka; A Bakas; G Dougas; T Lytras; G Theocharopoulos; D Chrysagis; E Vassiliadou; F Kamaria; A Liona; K Mellou; G Saroglou; T Panagiotopoulos

doi:10.2807/ese.15.34.19644-en

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Ongoing outbreak of West Nile virus infections in humans in Greece, July – August 2010
A Papa¹ , K Danis² , A Baka² , A Bakas³ , G Dougas² , T Lytras² , G Theocharopoulos² , D Chrysagis³ , E Vassiliadou³ , F Kamaria³ , A Liona² , K Mellou² , G Saroglou² , T Panagiotopoulos^2,4
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Affiliations: ¹ Reference Laboratory for Arboviruses, First Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece ² Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO), Athens, Greece ³ Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece ⁴ National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece

Correspondence:
K Danis
daniscostas yahoo.com
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Citation style for this article: Papa A, Danis K, Baka A, Bakas A, Dougas G, Lytras T, Theocharopoulos G, Chrysagis D, Vassiliadou E, Kamaria F, Liona A, Mellou K, Saroglou G, Panagiotopoulos T. Ongoing outbreak of West Nile virus infections in humans in Greece, July – August 2010. Euro Surveill. 2010;15(34):pii=19644. https://doi.org/10.2807/ese.15.34.19644-en Received: 18 Aug 2010

Abstract

Between early July and 22 August 2010, 81 cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease were reported in the region of Central Macedonia, northern Greece. The median age of cases was 70 years. Encephalitis, meningoencephalitis or aseptic meningitis occurred mainly in patients aged 50 years or older. This is the first time that West Nile virus (WNV) infection has been documented in humans in Greece. Enhanced surveillance and mosquito control measures have been implemented.