The Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention (HCDCP) with the Peripheral Laboratory of Public Health of East Macedonia-Thrace participated in the European Territorial Collaboration Program between Greece and Bulgaria 2007-2013. In the context of the above program, the project entitled Cross-Border Research Center Environment and Health (RCEH) has been completed.

This collaboration started in May 2011 and had the aims of creating a new laboratory for public health in the territory of Kirtzhali, Bulgaria, sharing technical knowledge and training Bulgarian scientists by the respective Greek associates in order to create a cross-border system of supervision and analysis of environmental dangers regarding public health, as well as the acquisition of new scientific equipment for the Peripheral Laboratory of Public Health of East Macedonia-Thrace

On 27 February 2013, at Kirtzhali, the official closing of the program took place. The brand new building (laboratory) that has been constructed at the center of the town, equipped with high-end equipment and a specialized work force, is now available for the people of Kirtzhali and Bulgaria in general.

Ms El. Hadjipashali, Deputy Director of the Public Health Laboratories Network (PHLN), and Ms J. Staikova, Director of the Bulgarian Public Health Laboratory, highlighted their appreciation of the successful completion of the program and pointed out that the benefits for both countries are many and of great importance, as from now on a new and close collaboration at all levels can begin, aimed at protecting public health in the area. Moreover, they both emphasized the professional and punctual completion of the program. Present at the event were representatives from the Bulgarian Ministry of Health, the medical and scientific institutes of Bulgaria, Kirtzhali’s Mayor, the Hellenic consulate, as well as the work force from the Peripheral Laboratory of Public Health of East Macedonia-Thrace, HCDCP and the European Program Office.

Additionally, on 6 March 2013, at the Peripheral Laboratory of Public Health of East Macedonia-Thrace-Alexandroupoli, another official ceremony was held for the completion of RCEH in the context of the regional collaboration between Greece and Bulgaria 2007-2013.

Invited to this ceremony were all the parties involved from the broader region of East Macedonian-Thrace. The event was very successful, with a high attendance. A briefing about the specific program and the work in general of the Peripheral Laboratory of Public Health of East Macedonia-Thrace took place in the presence of the Bulgarian consul.

The specific program was considered and proposed as a model of Good Corporate Practice and Collaboration. This distinction honors our country, the HCDCP and all the participants from the Peripheral Laboratory of Public Health of East Macedonia-Thrace and the European Program Office, as well as everyone else who has contributed to this program. This program is considered to be a special distinction for everyone involved.

El. Hadjipashali, Deputy Director of PHLN-HCDCP

The Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP)’s campaign for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) adopted the message ‘eliminate … new infections, deaths, discrimination’ and collaborated with the Greek basketball league ESAKE for events during basketball games on the occasion of the World AIDS Day. During the events, information material was distributed to fans by HCDCP’s staff from  specially designed stands at the entrances of the stadiums. The distribution of information material also took place at specific ports. The climax of the events was held on 3 December in a basketball match between Olympiakos and Aris, which was dedicated to raising awareness about the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Maria Foteinea, Head of the Press Office, HCDCP

The Steering Committee of the European Partnership for Action against Cancer (EPAAC) will take place in Athens on 24–26 September 2012.

Greece is participating in the partnership through the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (HCDCP) Head of the Department for Education and National Registries and Head of the Office of the Hellenic Cancer Registry and Rare Diseases, Dr Evagelia Tzala, Epidemiologist–Biostatistician (PhD).

The partnership’s work is planned to be completed by January 2014. Its primary objective is to exchange experiences and advance cancer control and prevention methods and practices, by addressing stakeholders with various and different backgrounds (researchers, groups of patients, industry and national authorities throughout the European Union). The collaboration of different groups will minimize duplication of effort and repetition and reduce unnecessary expenditure. More information can be found at www.keelpno.gr or www.epaac.eu/home.

The partnership supports and brings forward the development of cancer plans at national and European levels as well as actions for cancer control and prevention, such as population-based cancer registries, screening programs for the types of cancer indicated, etc. For more information, visit http://www.epaac.eu/home.

National Cancer Registry, HCDCP

With the slogan ‘Every blood donor is a hero’, World Blood Donor Day will be celebrated on 14 June.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners chose this slogan to highlight the fact that every one of us can become a hero simply by giving blood. Blood donors respond to the urgent need for blood for transfusion, whatever the circumstances, putting the needs of others before their own. Voluntary donors of all ages come forward from all walks of life, all regions and all religions. By choosing to donate blood, they demonstrate the power of human solidarity that saves lives.

Events

As part of the celebration, events will be organized world-wide to spread the message of voluntary blood donation. There will be lectures, concerts, dances, sporting events and, of course, blood donation sessions. The central global celebration for 2012 will be held in Korea.
On this day in our country, volunteer blood donor associations will organize various events and voluntary donation sessions.

The Hellenic Center for Co-ordinating Hemovigilance (SKAE) is participating by posting material on voluntary blood donation and blood safety on the official website of KEELPNO and through the participation of its staff in organizing voluntary blood collection.

Background

14 June was established as World Blood Donor Day by WHO, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT).

The date was chosen in honor of the German doctor Karl Landsteiner, born on this day. Landsteiner discovered blood groups in 1900 and was given with the Nobel Prize for his work. On 14 June, we honor the anonymous volunteer blood donors and the altruism that they display in not seeking a reward for contributing 10 minutes of their time and 450 cubic centimeters of their 5-6 liters of blood, a gift so vital for suffering fellow humans.

Message

The message of the celebration of World Blood Donor Day is not only to inform, in order to eliminate the prejudice, fear and ignorance that surrounds blood donation, but above all to:

• attract new volunteer donors
• encourage as many people as possible to become regular volunteer donors
• transfuse into a new generation of blood donors the idea of ​​voluntary unpaid blood donation.

Current situation

The transfusion of blood and blood products helps save millions of lives every year. Transfusion can help improve the life expectancy and quality of life of patients suffering from life-threatening conditions, and it supports complex medical and surgical procedures. Today, in 62 countries, national blood supplies are based on voluntary unpaid blood donation. However, in 40 countries a deposit of blood from family and friends of patients remains a prerequisite for ensuring the adequacy of blood, and paid blood donation remains a very real situation in some countries that face serious social problems.

The goal of WHO is for all countries to obtain their blood supplies entirely from voluntary unpaid donors by 2020

Dr Constantina Politi, Assistant Professor, University of Athens, Head of the SKAE-Hellenic Center for Co-ordinating Hemovigilance, HCDCP

The World Health Organization (WHO) European region was declared a ‘polio-free area’ in June 2002, as a result of routine immunization and enhanced epidemiological surveillance of poliomyelitis.

Because of certain features of Greece, such as the existence of population groups with low immunization coverage (Roma) and the arrival of immigrants and refugees from endemic areas, as well as the recent outbreaks of wild polio virus type 1 in four endemic countries (Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan), intensive epidemiological surveillance of poliomyelitis is required in our country in order to maintain a polio-free status.

For this reason, in addition to the existing epidemiological surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases in children aged <15 years, it has been decided that environmental surveillance will be carried out to detect wild polio virus.

The Office of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases of the Department of Epidemiological Surveillance and Interventiond in collaboration with the Public Health Laboratory Network (KEDY/PEDY), has organized the collection of sewage samples, primarily from the biological sewage treatment plants of areas where immigrants and Romas reside, according to the ​​ area of responsibility of each laboratory. Samples are sent to the National Reference Laboratory for Enteroviruses/Polioviruse –Hellenic Pasteur Institute to be examined for the presence of wild polio virus.

Under the auspices of the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP) and the Hellenic Tuberculosis (TB) Network, the first workshop on the Control of Tuberculosis in Greece: Improving Surveillance and Notification of the Disease was held in Athens, 6 April, 2012. The participants were welcomed by the HCDCP President, Professor T. Kremastinou, and the HCDCP board representative, Dr G. Margaritis. The Public Health Department of the Hellenic Ministry of Health was represented by Mrs F. Kaliva. During the morning session (Chairs Dr E. Marinis, Professor C. Chatzichristodoulou and Dr O. Kalkouni) the following presentations took place: TB epidemiological data, Greece, 2004-2011, disease undernotification, the necessity for a clinical TB network and the implementation of the Greek TB control program (Dr G. Spala, HCDCP); The experience of the fight against TB in the pediatric population in Athens and Thessaloniki (Professor M. Tsolia, Aglaia Kyriakou Hospital, Athens, and Professor I. Tsanakas, Hippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki); MDR/XDR-TB control (Dr K. Konstantinou, Sotiria Hospital, Athens); TB laboratory network (Dr E. Vogiatzakis, Sotiria Hospital, Athens).

During the afternoon session, participants were divided into two working groups (parallel sessions): 1) Treatment of tuberculosis in routine practice, the clinical and public health officials’ perspective (Chairs Professor C. Chadzichristodoulou and Dr G. Spala); 2) Operation of the laboratory TB surveillance network, laboratory notification (Chairs Dr G. Margaritis and Dr E. Vogiatzakis). During the final session of the meeting (Chairs Professor N. Koulouris and Professor D. Bouros), the conclusions of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the European Reference Laboratories Network for Tuberculosis (ERLN-TB) in London, March 2012, were presented (Dr D. Papaventsis and Dr P. Ioannidis, Sotiria Hospital, Athens). In addition, the conclusions of the working groups and further actions needed to combat the disease in Greece were discussed. The workshop was attended by co-ordinators of the TB network, pulmonologists designated as contact personnel in all geographical areas, biopathologists responsible for TB laboratory control, and doctors, nurses and health visitors from several health directorates and social care departments across the country. We would like to thank them all for their valuable contribution to the success of this workshop.

On 10 April 2012, a meeting was held on HCDCP Interventions for Malaria at the Municipality of Evrotas, Laconia at the boardroom of the Regional Unity of Laconia, co-ordinated by Mrs Aristea Tzanetea, Deputy Head of the Region of Laconia, Mr Vasilios Diamantopoulos, Doctor of Public Health NHS and Head of the Department of Public Health for the Region of the Peloponnese, Mr John Grypiotis, Mayor of the Municipality of Evrotas, and Mr Christos Hadjichristodoulou, Associate Professor of Hygiene and Epidemiology and member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP).

More specifically, the meeting was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Eastern Manis, the Deputy Mayor of Monemvasia, the CEOs of the General Hospitals of Sparti and Molaoi, the President of the Medical Association of Laconia, the Deputy Police Officer of the police station of Scala, as well as representatives from the Benaneio Phytopathological Institute, Laboratory of Entomology of the University of Thessaly, Agricultural University of Athens, Doctors Without Borders, HCDCP, and others.

The objectives of the meeting were to inform the health authorities of the Peloponnese region as well as stakeholders in the Regional Unity of Laconia on the operations to be held in the region of Laconia for the management of malaria during the implementation of the Act Special Program for the Control of West Nile Virus and Malaria, Strengthening Surveillance at the Greek Territory, which takes place under the operational program Human Resource Development of the NSRF (2007-2013), co-funded by the European Union (European Social Fund) and national resources.

During this meeting, the following was decided.

• The creation of a regional co-ordinating body, chaired by the Region of the Peloponnese, to co-ordinate the operations for handling malaria.The creation of two working groups, which will refer to the regional co-ordinating body:
  • 1st Working Group for the Screening of Immigrants, with representatives from the Region of the Peloponnese, the municipality of Evrotas, HCDCP, MSF, the Medical Association of Laconia, the University of the Peloponnese, the General Hospital of Sparti and the Police.
  • 2nd Working Group on Monitoring and Evaluating Mosquito Control Programs, with representatives from the Region of the Peloponnese, NSRF  and HCDCP.
• The cost of the G6PD blood examination, which is required for the administration of anti-malarial drugs, will be covered by the NSRF Special Program for the Control of West Nile Virus and Malaria, Strengthening Surveillance at the Greek Territory, and will be made by the General Hospital of Sparti in co-operation with a private diagnostic center.
• The submission of an amended proposal for funding through NSRF by the Municipality of Evrotas, incorporating the health structures of the region and strengthening the primary healthcare in the regional unity of Laconia.
• The invitation of the Nursing Department of the University of the Peloponnese to participate voluntarily in the operations undertaken by HCDCP and those that will be done through NSRF in the regional unity of Laconia.
• The planning and co-ordination of informative and prevention programs for malaria by the Region of the Peloponnese in co-operation with HCDCP.
• Residual indoor spraying at immigrant accommodation, stables and vacant/abandoned buildings in the municipality of Evrotas, with the input and recommendations of World Health Organization (WHO) skilled personnel.
• The development of protocols for mosquito control programs (checklists) to educate the local groups monitoring the contractors doing the spraying.
• The organization of a meeting to be held under the auspices of the Head of the Region of the Peloponnese, Mr Tatoulis, and the participation of the main bodies implementing the operations for the management of malaria.
• The performance of immigrant screening to be held at the municipality of Evrotas.

Vernardaki Alexandra, Detsis Marios, Pervanidou Danai, Georgakopoulou Theano, Tseroni Maria, Hadjichristodoulou Christos, Department of Epidemiological Surveillance and Intervention

The biennial European Public Health Microbiology Training program (EUPHEM) is co-ordinated and funded by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC).

The program provides training and practical experience in public health microbiology at laboratories with public health reference functions in the European Union (EU). The program is aimed at EU microbiologists with a medical, veterinary or environmental microbiology background, with previous experience in public health and a keen interest in applying microbiological principles and methods to the prevention and control of diseases in the human population.

The primary objective of the EUPHEM program is to provide state-of-the-art training in public health microbiology, enabling its fellows to apply microbiological and epidemiological methods to a wide range of public health problems in Europe. The main emphasis of the program is on learning-by-doing activities. Nationals of an EU member state or Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway can apply.

Our country has responded to the recent invitation made ​​by the ECDC to EU countries, to be a training site in the context of this program. It should be noted that since last year, the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP) has been a training site for the member state European Training Program for Field Epidemiologists (EPIET MS-Track).

The application was submitted by: a) the National School of Public Health (NSPH), specifically the Department of Microbiology that is now operationally merged with the Central Laboratory of Public Health of HCDCP, the Department of Public Health (National Reference Center for Meningitis) and the Department of Parasitology (Center for Malaria and Tropical Diseases), b) the National Reference Laboratory of Tuberculosis that falls under the ‘Sotiria’ General Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases, c) the National Reference Laboratory for Fungi that falls under the Medical School of the University of Athens, d) the Reference Centers for Influenza and Viral Diseases of the Greek Institute of Pasteur, and e) the Department of Epidemiological Surveillance and Intervention of HCDCP.

On 4-7 March 2012, two representatives of ECDC visited Greece in order to assess the application. They visited all the laboratories and HCDCP to determine whether the requirements for inclusion in the program were met.

As a result of their report, the application was accepted. During 2012-2013, the country will participate in the program and supervisors will participate in meetings and the scientific forum of the program along with the supervisors from the other countries, in order to take part in the selection of participants in 2013-2014.

At the request of ECDC representatives, three supervisors were designated: Dr G. Tzanakaki (main supervisor) and Professor A. Vatopoulos (associate supervisor) from the laboratories, and Dr Mellou from HCDCP.

Participation in this program is important because the educational opportunities in this specific field are limited. Moreover, it will increase our country’s access to ECDC educational activities and participation in the procedures followed by the center in order to determine training needs and priorities at a European level.

Kassiani Mellou, Department of Epidemiological Surveillance and Intervention

The Laboratory of Hygiene, Epidemiology & Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, the Hellenic Association for the Study of Liver, the Hepatitis B and C Public Policy Association, under the auspices of the University of Athens Medical School, the Organization Against Drugs (OKANA), Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY) and the Central Board of Health (KESY), organized the symposium ‘Hepatitis B and C: an underestimated scourge in Greece’ on 16 March 2102, at Titania Hotel in Athens.

Hepatitis B and C remain a serious public health problem world-wide.

In our country, an estimated 500,000 people are chronic carriers of viral hepatitis and are at risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Chronic viral hepatitis is a disease that can be managed with early identification and treatment. The serious complications and tragic consequences for patients’ health can add great pressure to the state budget.

Unfortunately, hepatitis B and C infections have been underestimated.

The scientific issues raised during the symposium were the:

• extent of the problem of hepatitis B and C in Greece
• prevention of hepatitis B and C in Greece
• prevention, care and treatment programs among intravenous drug users (IDUs)
• patients’ roles in the prevention, care and treatment of viral hepatitis
• treatment of hepatitis B and C in Greece
• state funding for hepatitis treatment.

It also highlighted the following issues.

1. The need to provide treatment to people who have lost their jobs and interrupted their treatment because of the high costs.
2. The need for molecular biology laboratory testing to be supported financially by state-funded insurance programs, because of the high cost of diagnostic tests.
3. The need to create an association of viral hepatitis patients.

The physicians of the HCDCP’s office for viral hepatitis, Dr Georgia Nikolopoulou and A. Zisouli, presented lectures on:

• epidemiological surveillance (A. Zisouli)
• vaccination for HBV (G. Nikolopoulou)
• state funding for hepatitis (G. Nikolopoulou).

Dr G. Nikolopoulou, Office for Viral Hepatitis

The International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis B and C ’S. Hadziyannis‘ was held in Athens on 21-22 January 2012, and marked the beginning of a new era for the treatment of chronic liver disease caused by hepatitis C virus and the use of new antiviral drugs in our country and world-wide.

The Symposium on Viral Hepatitis B and C is an annual meeting providing scientific data and has been conducted successfully for 19 years.

Since 2011, it has been officially hosted by the Hellenic Association for the Study of Liver; doctors from all specialties within the medical profession attended the symposium, in particular physicians specializing in gastroenterology and hepatology from all over Greece.