Health Ministry sets up task force to boost measles vaccination
The Health Ministry has set up a task force to increase the number of people getting vaccinated against measles, and is preparing an information and vaccination campaign in regions with low inoculation rates, following an outbreak in Romania, and other European countries.
The task force is coordinated by Vasiliki Papaevangelou, professor of pediatric infectious diseases and a member of the National Immunization Committee and the National Organization for Public Health (EODY).
The first meeting of the working group was held online on February 2, with the aim of assessing the risk of outbreaks in the country and proposing specific actions to prevent and control a possible spread. The task force decided to carry out information campaigns by the Ministry of Health, municipalities and local medical associations, in the areas with low vaccination coverage, while EODY will collaborate with the NGO Health for All to carry out mass vaccination campaigns in Roma camps, with the assistance of mobile units.
While Greece hasn’t reported measles cases recently, concerns arise due to a European surge in 2023 and a historical pattern every 5-6 years. The last outbreak of measles in the country occurred in 2017-2018, with more than 3,200 cases, while no cases were reported in 2022 and 2023.
The two laboratory cases recorded so far within 2024 involved adults with previous contact with a person residing in a country where an outbreak has been recorded. Health authorities are also looking into the possibility of two other cases.
