It’s not just malaria, other mosquito-borne diseases are appearing in Greece including the West Nile virus. Statistics indicate there were 70 cases of mosquito borne diseases in Greece in the first nine months of the year.

Although the majority were contracted abroad, more than 10% were caught within the country. The disease was recorded in seven regions across the country.

Scientists have warned that it is a matter of time until the disease spreads to Athens. With only eight of 56 districts around Athens undertaking anti-mosquito spraying this year, it is a situation the Greeks seriously want to avoid.

Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), the international charity, is offering the sort of treatments to the Greeks one normally sees in sub-saharan Africa.

“For a European country, letting this kind of situation develop and not controlling it is a big concern,” says Apostolos Veizis, MSF’s director of medical-operational support in Greece.

You can’t run after malaria. In a country in the European Union, we should not be running after a disease like this in emergency mode. Even in poorly-resourced countries in Africa, they have a national plan in place. What I expect from a country that is a member of the EU is at least that.

Some 16 million tourists visit Greece each year and almost none will have researched the precautions necessary to prevent mosquito borne diseases. Now you know friends. If you are planning a trip to Greece, stock up on those anti-malaria pills.

[Source: The Telegraph]