Infectious diseases increase 39.7 pct in 2016

The number of patients suffering from infectious diseases such as the flu, tuberculosis and meningitis that were reported to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (KEELPNO) shot up by 39.7 percent in 2016 to 4,780 cases, against 3,421 the previous year.

The recent data published by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) also show that the majority of cases pertained to the flu, which represented 2,454 of reports last year against 1,495 in 2015, marking a rise of 64 percent. Salmonella poisoning was also high on the list of ailments that are easily prevented, with 750 cases reported in 2016, mainly in August and September.

Of the incidents reported to KEELPNO in 2016, 442 were of tuberculosis, 142 of viral meningitis and 103 of bacterial meningitis, and 120 of brucellosis, also known as Malta fever.