Follow-up of Reported Cases of Infectious Diseases, 2019

HELLENIC REPUBLIC
HELLENIC STATISTICAL AUTHORITY	Piraeus, 21 October 2020

PRESS RELEASE

FOLLOW UP OF REPORTED CASES OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 2019

The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) announces provisional data on reported cases of infectious diseases for 2018 on the basis of information deriving from the National Public Health Organization (NPHO) of Greece (former Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention-HCDCP) which records and verifies the reported cases of infectious diseases through its epidemiological surveillance & intervention system, on the basis of the mandatory notification of these diseases.

According to data for year 2019, the reported cases of infectious diseases were 4,443 against 5,605 in 2018, presenting a decrease of 20.7%. It is noted that though in 2018 the number of reported cases of measles presented an increase of 136.7% compared to 2017, in 2019 were reduced by 98.0%. On the contrary influenza of which the laboratory confirmed cases had been reduced in 2018 by 62.6% compared to 2017 (from 2,531 to 947), in 2019 presented a significant increase of 136.2% from 947 to 2,237 cases (Table 1, Graph 1).

		Table 1. Reported cases of infectious diseases, 2012 -2019
	Year			Total (incl. influenza,			Influenza			Measles
			measles)
2012		2,885		593		3
	2013			2,804			518			4
2014		3,251		1,225		1
	2015			3,421			1,495			1
2016		4,951		2,622		0
	2017			5,894			2,531			968
2018*		5,605*		947		2,291
	2019			4,443			2,237			45

*Revised data

Graph 1. Influenza & measles and the rest of infectious diseases, 2012-2019

6000
											5,894	5,605
5000										4,951
																4,443
4000
						3,251	3,421
		2,885	2,804
3000
2000
1000
0
2012	2013			2014	2015	2016	2017			2018	2019
Information for methodological matters:					Information for data provision:
Division of Sectoral Statistics									Τηλ. 2131352022, 2310, 2308
Section of Health and Social Protection Statistics				E-mail:[e-mail]
Konstantinos Giasafakis, Alexandra Zografou

Tel: [phone], 2785

[e-mail]

Measles

Influenza

Infectious diseases (without influenza & measles)

Table 2 and the corresponding graph 2, present the seasonality of seven infectious diseases1, which account for more than 100 verified and hospitalized reported cases during the year 2019. The seven infectious diseases are bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, salmonellosis, tuberculosis, influenza, the West Nile virus (WNV) infection and shigellosis. On the basis of the reported cases, salmonellosis had its peak in the summer, with the most cases being reported in July and August (110). For the first time in the last years shigellosis presented more than 100 cases with the highest incidence being in November (27). Tuberculosis showed an upward trend during 2019. Viral meningitis reached its peak in July 2019 then dropped and started rising again with another peak in November. Bacterial meningitis followed the same pattern. The influenza cases had their peak in February and since May had been significantly reduced until the end of the year when they began rising again. The WNV infection cases increased during summertime, had their peak in August (125) and were reduced to zero in winter.

Table 2. Seasonality of seven infectious diseases1, 2019

				Total number														Of which:
																							West Nile
				of reported
						Bacterial			Viral												Virus
	Month			cases
					meningitis			meningitis			Salmonellosis			Tuberculosis			Influenza			infection			Shigellosis
	January	776		14				16		30		42		643		0		9
	February			910			18				13			21			20			810			0			3
	March	531		4				12		19		20		432		0		2
	April			214			10				9			11			29			112			0			2
	May	251		11				19		47		33		93		0		5
	June			118			8				11			33			23			6			1			10
	July	323		21				36		110		47		12		49		7
	August			378			11				22			110			54			25			125			5
	September	270		5				11		103		40		5		49		12
	October			222			8				23			82			44			16			3			16
	November	216		13				31		53		42		16		0		27
	December			234			7				25			24			65			67			0			7
	Total			4,443			130				228			643			459			2,237			227			105

1 Tuberculosis which is monitored by the European Centre for disease Prevention and Control remains one of the major problems of public health, though the target was, by 2050, to eradicate the prevalence of tuberculosis and the recurrent deaths. Salmonellosis is the most frequently reported food-borne infection. Shigellosis (former bacterial dysentery) is a bacterial infection which affects the digestive system and is transmitted though the contaminated water and food or through contact with faeces and the main symptom is diarrhea. Meningitis is an acute infection of the central nervous system that can be caused by viral, bacterial and, rarely, fungal infections. The WNV (West Nile Virus) infection is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes and infects animals and humans. Influenza is a viral infection of the respiratory system and is caused by the influenza virus. It is distinguished into seasonal and new influenza.

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Graph 2. Seasonality of six infectious diseases 2018 and 2019

Viral Meningitis

Bacterial Meningitis

	45																						25
	40
casesof	35																					cases	20
25
	30
Number	20																					ofNumber	15
	15																2018					10
	10																2019
	5																						5
	0
	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December											January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September October	November	December
											0
								Salmonellosis															Tuberculosis
	160																				70
	140																				60
Numberof cases	120																			Numberof cases	50
100																2019			20
																						40
		80																				30
																		2018
		60
		40
		20																				10
		0	January		March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December							0				April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
			February								January	February	March
								Influenza													West Nile Virus infection
		900																			160
		800																			140
		700																			120
	casesofNumber
	600																		casesofNumber
	500																		100
		400																2018			80
		300																2019			60
		200																			40
		100																			20
		0				April	May	June	July	August		September	October	November	December							0
			January	February	March											April	May	June	July	August	Septemb…	October	November	December
											January	February	March
																	Shigellosis
									30
								casesof	25
								20
								Number	15
								10																2018
									5																2019
									0					April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
										January		February	March

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

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As regards the geographical distribution of the aforementioned seven infectious diseases, the following are observed on the basis of the available data for 2019: with regard to salmonellosis, most of the cases are recorded in the regions of Attiki (35.1%). As for the shigellosis apart from Attiki (32,4%) the region of Voreio Aigaio came up to the same level (31.4%). The highest percentage of recorded cases of Tuberculosis was presented in the region of Attiki (40.1%) followed by the region of Kentriki Makedonia (12.9%). As far as viral meningitis is concerned, most of the cases are reported in descending order in the regions of Kriti (26.3), Attiki (23.2%) and Dytiki Ellada (18.0%) while for bacterial meningitis first comes Attiki (29.2%) second Kriti (13.1%) and third comes Kentriki Makedonia (12.3%). Influenza presents the greatest concentration in Attiki (66.6%) and small variance in the rest of the country. Finally, concerning the infection of West Nile virus the highest percentages of incidences were in Anatoliki Makedonia & Thraki (40.5%) and then were equally distributed in Kentriki Makedonia and Thessalia (23.8%) whereas Attiki was lagging behind (11.0%).

Table 3. Distribution of the seven most frequently reported cases of infectious diseases by region, 2019

	Total of
	reported	Bacterial	Viral							West Nile Virus
Region (NUTS 2)	cases	Meningitis	meningitis	Salmonellosis	Tuberculosis	Influenza	Infection	Shigellosis
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Total	4,443	100.0	130	100.0	228	100.0	643	100.0	459	100.0	2,237	100.0	227	100.0	105	100.0
An. Makedonia & Thraki	229	5.2	10	7.7	6	2.6	57	8.9	4	0.9	31	1.4	92	40.5	5	4.8
Kentriki Makedonia	430	9.7	16	12.3	16	7.0	37	5.8	59	12.9	191	8.5	54	23.8	3	2.9
Dytiki Makedonia	38	0.9	1	0.8	1	0.4	8	1.2	6	1.3	14	0.6	1	0.4	0	0.0
Ipeiros	138	3.1	3	2.3	7	3.1	44	6.8	17	3.7	44	2.0	0	0.0	2	1.9
Thessalia	240	5.4	2	1.5	10	4.4	55	8.6	42	9.2	42	1.9	54	23.8	5	4.8
Ionia Nisia	62	1.4	3	2.3	8	3.5	21	3.3	6	1.3	16	0.7	0	0.0	1	1.0
Dytiki Ellada	188	4.2	12	9.2	41	18.0	28	4.4	13	2.8	50	2.2	0	0.0	9	8.6
Sterea Ellada	146	3.3	9	6.9	4	1.8	39	6.1	22	4.8	45	2.0	0	0.0	3	2.9
Attiki	2,193	49.4	38	29.2	53	23.2	226	35.1	184	40.1	1,490	66.6	25	11.0	34	32.4
Peloponnisos	151	3.4	6	4.6	3	1.3	25	3.9	24	5.2	66	3.0	0	0.0	3	2.9
Voreio Aigaio	143	3.2	7	5.4	12	5.3	26	4.0	45	9.8	5	0.2	0	0.0	33	31.4
Notio Aigaio	46	1.0	4	3.1	4	1.8	4	0.6	5	1.1	19	0.8	0	0.0	1	1.0
Kriti	231	5.2	17	13.1	60	26.3	51	7.9	19	4.1	68	3.0	0	0.0	3	2.9
Region not reported	208	4.7	2	1.5	3	1.3	22	3.4	13	2.8	156	7.0	1	0.4	3	2.9

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