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  Health, Wellness & Happiness  Travel to Greece 

Refugees and Biosafety in Greece by the worry of New Emerging Diseases

Could bio terrorists just step on Europe and be the bio-suicide bombers ? And if not, is Greece as the community, becoming the pool of a mixture of viruses? 

Malaria's reappearance has shown that yes  


New! Worries for communicable infections in Armed Forces officers  


News Updates 

The Greek CDC Emergency 
Response Plan,
the shield for biological Safety


The Plan for Emergency Response provided by  the Greek CDC (HCDCP) to the government since early May 2015 activates the creation of aTrafficking and Migrating Populations Observatory on the Crossroad Greece the Health Screeing of all refugees and migrants newcomers, and the providence of a Health Card to all the refugees identified in the Hotspots ,as to facilitate the proper emergency political or operational decisions that might start from a simple mosquito bite and end up to the worst nightmasrish bioterror scenario  

Emergency: Dutch Tourist's 
Strange Case on refugee arrivals' island 

A Dutch tourist who had been recently on vacation on the island of Kos  has been transfered in citical condition to hospital in Athens, to the intubated in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) .

The Dutch man reportedly showed severe symptoms of infectious contagious disease, and was suspected, the Greek Center for Disease Control( HCDCP/KEELPNO)President's satement for cholera infection, but results finally came out negative for cholera . His condition remained undiagnosed, and the factors  that led to the contamination have been set under clinical investigation by the Greek CDC..Go to the story 


Health in Refugee
 Camps' Update 


A shocking view of lack of Hygiene safety at the reception camps in Lesbos, by the HRW

It is appalling to see children with medical conditions and disabilities lying in the dirt as flies buzz around their eyes. The authorities should coordinate with humanitarian groups to ensure that people with particular needs are identified quickly and ensured access to the registration process and unhindered access to doctors. Eva Cossé ,Greece HRW specialist Human Rights Watch staff witnessed…go to story

Throughout the city: during the nightmarish start of the refugee crisis 

No chemical toilets, no water AT ALL to wash hands during the night -and every night, no public water for the migrants to wash their hands during day and night, and also, public cleaning crews, even though they are officially obliged to protect the local population and the Public Health village seemed not to not exist at all, due to lack of financial resources.

In less than a month, situation worsened so rapidly, that the isle's residents woke up on a huge urine &feces open air camp, their city. A Public Health Emergency that seemed out of Control and out of Response....

Worth noting the fact that, at least, polio virus spreads through the feces , in conjuction to the fact that Syrian population is unvaccinated to Polio. And this was not the only factor predisposing the islands’ Pubic Health to communicable diseases. Pakistanis populations that arrived among others, the resource of reappearance of malaria since 2011 in Peloponnese, were camping, due to all this delay ... go to story 


On the islands: the black market registration networks easily opened the doors..... 

Have the networks of black market registration documents on the islands of Aegean, especially on the first months of the influx  provided the access to Europe to Jihadists terrorists?

Lesbos Municipality , that has been struggling with the unthinkable refugees influx since May 2015  and all the summer period through till now, had been notified for possible cases of ISIS men on the island, by local residents , and also refugees that found themselves in Lesvos. 

Go to our Greece Transit For Hope Home Page of  September 2015 

 
 

Bioterror threats on Transit 
Greece Crossroad

 

Bio Defense Preparedness in Greece, before the year 2000 

The country has been prepared for a possible bioterror attack, early enouph, since late 1998, when Greece won the Nomination for the Olypmic Gamesin 2004. It was since then, (on 1998) when  Greece had been put on Prepardness program for a possible bioterror  attack. The Greek Centers for Disease Control has organized and set on the alert the biological protection shield for the country,and the Gate to the Western world .

The recent regugee crisis that found Greece on its most fragile financial resistance, has been challenging seriously the country's bio security network 

      

Today
Biological  Threat and Alert over Europe 

Beatrix Immenkamp

Policy Analyst at European Parliament, 
"At present, European citizens are not seriously contemplating the possibility that extremist groups might use chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) materials during attacks in Europe. Under these circumstances, the impact of such an attack, should it occur, would be even more destabilising. European governments and EU institutions need to be on alert, and should consider publicly addressing the possibility of a terrorist attack using chemical, biological, radiological or even nuclear materials."  find that , December 2015

French Prime Minister : France could face the risk of chemical or bacterial warfare 


Theft in Ebola patients Hospital  

PARIS – French police are investigating the recent theft of medical protective clothing from a hospital in Paris.

The motive for the theft is unclear but it comes amid heightened fears in France over the risk of biological or chemical terrorism following the deadly Nov. 13 attacks in Paris.

The disappearance of a “limited number” of “protective clothing elements” from the Necker hospital was discovered on Nov. 18 2015, the Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris said in a statement on Saturday.

A spokeswoman for AP-HP reached by Reuters on Sunday declined to provide further details on what equipment was taken.

After the Nov. 13 attacks, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France could face the risk of chemical or bacterial warfare in its fight against Islamist militants.

Reiterating the possible threat on Sunday, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio “all possible precautions to avoid this kind of risk have been taken.

The Necker hospital is used by patients possibly suffering from the Ebola virus and as such has a large stock of protective clothing, the AP-HP statement added.


Find more on the original story 


Recent 
Nato official:  terrorists are trying to acquire CBRN substances  

Head of Counterterrorism of EU Commission: "Concern is Justified" Speaking at the Security and Counter Terror Expo in London, Jorge Berto Silva, deputy head of counter terrorism for the European Commission said, talking to the Telegraph :"With CBRN [chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear materials], there is a justified concern." Dr Jamie Shea, deputy assistant secretary general for emerging security threats at Nato, also told the Expo: "We know terrorists are trying to acquire these (CBRN) substances."  

In the Labs of Western World

US and ECDC

US: Keeping safe, staying secure

To keep select agents and toxins safe and to prevent them from being stolen, lost, or accidentally or intentionally released, the Federal Select Agent Program (at the request of the U.S. Congress) created a set of regulations known as the Select Agent Regulations. Registered labs are responsible for following these regulations. To ensure that this is taking place, labs must undergo regular inspections so the program can find and help fix any safety or security issues by the cdc.gov blog, June 30, 2016

EU: Biorisk management in biomedical laboratories requires
  •  Application of national, European and WHO rules and regulations
regarding biosafety and biosecurity 
  • appropriate decontamination strategies the use of personal protection in a BSL-3 lab biosecurity Laboratory.
International shipping of infectious substances accreditation from WHO

In Greece 
Anthrax in a tupperware!

A creepy report on the absence or biasing of any Regulations for safeguarding select agents in Greece comes to light. No official statement or answer on the story by Greek Authorities in charge has been made so far   

Anthrax, the bacillus has been found in a Tupperware in the main Epidemiology research laboratory of the University of Athens, and this happened 15 months after the new Professor in charge of this university department had left the office. The new professor of the Department was ignoring officially the existence of the "active" biological material , until she was informed by a laboratory researcher . After that the official authorities had been notified, and at last the creepy Tupperware was spotted and then taken away by the biosafety team of top national security of the Greek Armed Forces .go the story 


Newly detected Viruses in Greece never,
 nowhere identified before 

unknown Salmonella enterica

fear of WNV virus mutation 


According to a recent study the West Nile Virus is now associated with  the presence and the frequency of hybrids between molestus and pipiens forms of Culex populations at certain areas in Northern Greece   "These mosquitoes are epidemiologically extremely dangerous because they feed both from birds and mammals...."  Read the  Greek2m exclusive story  


The CDC Dirty Dozen List   


Category A Diseases/Agents 

The U.S. public health system and primary healthcare providers must be prepared to address various biological agents, including pathogens that are rarely seen in the United States.

 High-priority agents include organisms that pose a risk to national security because they 
• can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person;
• result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact;
 • might cause public panic and social disruption; and
 • require special action for public health preparedness. 

Category B Diseases/Agents 
Second highest priority agents include those that • are moderately easy to disseminate; • result in moderate morbidity rates and low mortality rates; and • require specific enhancements of CDC's diagnostic capacity and enhanced disease surveillance. 

Category C Diseases/Agents Third highest priority agents include emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass dissemination in the future because of • availability; • ease of production and dissemination; and • potential for high morbidity and mortality rates and major health impact

Hepattis A among the Priority B Category of Priority Pathogens for  Biodefense , by NIH


Emerging infectious diseases can be defined as infectious diseases that have newly appeared in a population or have existed but are rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range, or that are caused by one of the NIAID Category A, B, or C priority pathogens. Category B pathogens are the second highest priority organisms/biological agents. 

Hepatitis A on refugee kid in Idomeni, 2016 


A 9 year old refugee child from Syria has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A at the open refugee camp of Greece’s borders with FYROM, Idomeni, the Greek Centers for Disease Control announced, and is transfered to a hospital of Thessaloniki
The kid had travelled with his family from Syria to Greece, and meanwhile stayed for a couple of days in Turkey, his parents realtives said  to the authorities and the Disease Control doctors.

“The Greek CDC(HCDCP), in collaboration with local health agencies, has taken all immediated actions for the prevention and the entrenchment of the disease in vulnerable refugee populations”, the organisation’s Press Release 

find that  on Greek2m Eye

Dengue Fever in Greece

Dengue Fever back in Greece, man dies by autochthonous infection. New malaria- dengue combo Alert in India 

Greek Man’s Death in Greece prompts  dengue scare in the country, hit also by West Nile virus and malaria,  The 80 year old man from Agrinio , Western Greece, died in the hospital on August 30, and his case seems to be the first endemic infection in the country since 1920. The Greek Center of Disease Control has done the surveillance by testing the  family members and villagers from htis location with Blood tests to identify any possible endemic source in Greece

MERS CASE on taveler



To Travelers to Greece: Take care of Hepatitis A, and not only 

Hepatitis A outbreaks occur throughout the world and sometimes in countries with a low risk for hepatitis A (including the US). You can get hepatitis A through contaminated food or water in Greece, so talk to your doctor to see if the hepatitis A vaccine is right for you.


( Yellow Book for Travellers, Destination Greece)


Ebola 


Emergency Alert on Piraeus port, Attiki , Greece, for suspected Ebola case.

The Ebola Emergency Response at the Ports of Greece . Special Note had been sent for ships sailing to Greece from Ebola affected countires

“Given that the incubation period of Ebola virus is 2-21 days, the possibility of introducing in Greece an hemorrhagic fever outbreak through the ship that sail from Ebola affected areas, is considered very likely .” “Sailing from Guinea Conracy Port, for instance”, had said the Ministry of Health Circular, |takes a travel time of 10 days." .

The Circular was released on November 3, two weeks before the Magda P incident appeared .

Clear instructions are given about the terms and conditions for the management of suspicious incident on board, and the procedures of "tracking" of contacts with other passengers or crew members, as well as the procedure for temporary isolation and transfer of an Ebola suspect incident. Find that story on our Newsblog 




Zika 

 

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