HIV and malaria return to Greece

Posted By Joshua Keating Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 5:51 PM Share

Earlier this month, Greek journalist Nick Malkoutzis wrote a piece asking the question, "Is Greece a Failed State?" The title was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but at the Guardian reports, Medecins Sans Frontieres, more accustomed to working in countries like Sudan or Chad, is finding some disturbingly familiar trends in the EU member state:

The incidence of HIV/Aids among intravenous drug users in central Athens soared by 1,250% in the first 10 months of 2011 compared with the same period the previous year, according to the head of Médecins sans Frontières Greece, while malaria is becoming endemic in the south for the first time since the rule of the colonels.[...]

The extraordinary increase in HIV/Aids among drug users, due largely to the suspension or cancellation of free needle exchange programmes, has been accompanied by a 52% increase in the general population.

"We are also seeing transmission between mother and child for the first time in Greece," she said. "This is something we are used to seeing in sub-Saharan Africa, not Europe. There has also been a sharp increase in cases of tuberculosis in the immigrant population, cases of Nile fever – leading to 35 deaths in 2010 – and the reappearance of endemic malaria in several parts of Greece, notably the south."

According to Papadopoulos, such sharp increases in communicable diseases are indicative of a system nearing breakdown. "The simple fact of the reappearance of malaria, with 100-odd cases in southern Greece last year and 20 to 30 more elsewhere, shows barriers to healthcare access have risen," she said. "Malaria is treatable, it shouldn't spread if the system is working."

According to the article, MSF has been active in Greece for over 20 years but until now has generally worked on disaster relief, not taking the place of the country's public health sector.  

 

BALTHAZAR MAX

9:36 PM ET

March 15, 2012

"HIV and Malaria return to Greece"

This is a sensationalistic report that is not exactly truthful:

1) HIV never left Greece.

2) The origin of the cases of malaria that were reported in May to September 2011 can not be determined for sure but it is very possible (as has been the case in some past local outbreaks), that the cases were imported into Greece by migrant workers from endemic areas in Africa and Asia. Considering that all cases where due to the vivax form of the malaria parasite, and knowing that it causes a chronic relapsing form of malaria, these migrant workers could have been well when they entered the country. Once mosquitoes bit them, then they likely carried the parasite to others and infected them locally. There have been no more cases since November 2011.

The CDC and the WHO do not have special warnings for travellers to Greece.

See here the full report on Eurosurveillance:

http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19993

The first two cases were in 2 workers from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Then, 16 of the total 36 cases were from migrant workers from endemic areas of the world (mainly Pakistan).

A report such as this one in FP which took its information from the Guardian has not done its homework. It seems that the media want to jump at every opportunity to smear Greece. The NGO Medecins du Monde is alarmist in this case and are likely doing this to justify requests for more funding.

And since this article hints that Greece is on par with "African" countries, I need to make this clear: HIV is not an indication of a country's development. The United States has a large HIV epidemic on its hands. Finally, there have been sporadic cases of imported malaria in migrant workers and in transitting airport travellers in the southern United States many times - most recently in Florida.

 

MAXIMB

5:55 AM ET

March 20, 2012

Most of the decade was given

Most of the decade was given over to solving the problem of the Great Depression. So, the US concentrated on domestic policy. Trade and other commercial activities continued but on a lesser amount than before the Depression. Toward the end of the decade, the unrest in Europe caused by Mussolini and Hitler began to focus US attention on foreign policy. FDR followed some of Hoover's policies dealing with Latin America. Some of our troops were pulled out but we did not intervene in Cuba due to the Platt Amendment. The Stimson Doctrine was an attempt to maintain our influence in China via the Open Door Policy. FDR did recognize the Soviet Union and we exchanged Ambassadors. Check the site below..

"Is rio orange war always forfait b and you inevitable ?"
MaximB

 

MAXIMB

9:53 AM ET

March 22, 2012

He's done this because either

He's done this because either way he feels he does'nt need advise from a VP if he were to become President. He would be the one to "run the show". And he wants to become President and "fight for us". Who the fu** is he referring to. Rich white people?.

"Is rio orange war always comparateur forfait inevitable ?"
MaximB

 

MAXIMB

12:14 AM ET

March 23, 2012

Well, making propaganda

Well, making propaganda movies against your own country for the enemy during wartime means you're trying to "get along," doesn't it?.

"Is rio orange war always comparateur forfait inevitable ?"
MaximB

 

FINNEGANLAURIE

12:44 AM ET

April 14, 2012

The origin of the cases of

The origin of the cases of malaria that were reported in May to September 2011 can not be determined for sure but it is very possible (as has been the case in some past local outbreaks), that the cases were imported into Greece by migrant workers from endemic areas in Africa and Asia. Considering that medicaldebt all cases where due to the vivax form of the malaria parasite, and knowing that it causes a chronic relapsing form of malaria, these migrant workers could have been well when they entered the country. Once mosquitoes bit them, then they likely carried the parasite to others and infected them locally. There have been no more cases since November 2011.

 

This blog does not have any specific about information tied to it.

Read More