We report an ongoing measles outbreak in Greece. The first cases were notified through the mandatory notification system on May 2017 in Northern Greece and concerned a cluster of three imported cases in unvaccinated Roma siblings. So far, 3150 cases have been reported in all 13 Regions. Initially, the outbreak mainly affected Greek Roma but as it progressed it spread to non-minority Greek nationals. The outbreak reached its ultimate peak on week 10/2018 but from week 15/2018 has been gradually declining. Most cases (60.6%) were Roma (especially children <10 year-old) followed by non-minority Greek nationals (29.3%; mostly young adults). The majority (80.4%) were unvaccinated. Interestingly, 129 (4.1%) cases were healthcare workers (HCWs). Genotype B3 was identified by molecular methods in all 87 cases tested. Overall, 61.3% of the cases were hospitalised. Complications were reported in 17.1% of the cases among which four deaths. The outbreak occurred after 3 years without local endemic measles transmission. Extensive vaccination implemented as the major public health measure managed to prevent the emergence of a large number of cases in refugee/migrant hosting sites. Mitigation efforts currently focus on raising awareness among HCWs and closing the immunisation gap in populations with suboptimal vaccination coverage.

Between 18 May 2009 and 3 May 2010, a total of 149 fatal cases associated with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) were reported in Greece. Detailed case-based epidemiological information was available for the large majority of fatal cases. The time distribution follows an epidemic curve with a peak in the beginning of December 2009 and a second peak one month later. This is similar to that of laboratory confirmed cases and influenza-like illness cases from our sentinel surveillance system, with two weeks delay. The most commonly reported underlying conditions were chronic cardiovascular disease and immunosuppression, while the most frequently identified risk factor was obesity. These findings should be taken into consideration, when vaccination strategies are employed.

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BackgroundMeasles is a highly contagious disease which still remains a cause of severe complications, including deaths worldwide, despite the existence of safe and effective vaccines. In the last 3 decades, the incidence of measles in Greece has constantly declined with only sporadic clusters or outbreaks (last outbreak in 2010–2011). We describe the characteristics of the ongoing measles outbreak and the Public Health response.MethodsAll measles cases are reported through the mandatory notification system (EU case definition 2012) to the Department of Surveillance and Intervention of the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. For laboratory confirmation patient sera were tested for IgM antibodies and pharyngeal swabs for the presence of measles virus RNA with RT-PCR. Sequencing of the measles nucleoprotein gene was applied in positively tested serological samples.ResultsFrom 9 May 2017 to 26 April 2018, 2,659 cases were reported in all 13 regions in Greece; 1,605 (60.4%) were laboratory confirmed. Most cases (n = 1,595; 60%) were Roma (73% children <10 years) followed by nonminority Greek nationals (n = 781; 29.4%, of whom 57% young adults 25–44 years), highlighting the immunity gap in Roma population. The vast majority of cases (80.5%) were unvaccinated. Ninety-four (3.5%) cases were healthcare workers (HCW); all were partially or not vaccinated. Genotype B3 was identified by molecular testing in all 88 cases tested. Severe complications were reported in 429 (16.1%) patients, most frequently pneumonia (43.8%) and hepatitis (21.2%). Three deaths were recorded in an 11-month-old immunocompromised Roma infant, a 17-year-old unvaccinated Roma, and a 35 year olds partially vaccinated individual from the general population. Extensive vaccination in refugee/migrant hosting sites prevented the emergence of a large number of cases. Mitigation efforts focused on closing the immunization gap in Roma population through emergency vaccination and raising awareness among HCWs to prevent further spread.ConclusionThe current outbreak highlights the need to achieve high vaccination coverage with 2 doses of MMR vaccine in the general population (children, adolescents, and young adults) and in hard-to-reach vulnerable populations like Roma and refugees.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.