HIV rises in Greece
Officials in Greece are planning to hand out condoms and syringes as the country experiences a sharp rise in the rate of HIV infections.
The distribution of 30,000 condoms comes following reports from Greece’s top health watch dog which found cases of new HIV infections rose by 52.7 per cent in the general population since 2010.
New cases of HIV infections in the general population have been attributed to the increase levels of prostitution in the country particularly amongst undocumented migrants.
The head of Medecins sans Frontieres Greece Reveka Papadopoulos said the health services in Greece were under severe strain following drastic budget cuts which included job losses and a 40 per cent reduction in hospital funding.
“What we are seeing are very clear indicators of a system that cannot cope,” she said.
'”We are also seeing transmission between mother and child for the first time in Greece. This is something we are used to seeing in sub-Saharan Africa, not Europe.
“There has also been a sharp increase in cases of tuberculosis in the immigrant population, cases of Nile fever - leading to 35 deaths in 2010 - and the reappearance of endemic malaria in several parts of Greece, notably the south.”
Reports have also found a 1250 per cent increase of HIV infections in 2011 amongst intravenous drug users since the scrapping of needle exchange programs.
The warnings of the increase of diseases in Greece come as the IMF approves its $35 billion share of Greece’s latest bailout.
- Tags: AIDS/HIV, Blaze, Condom, Greece, malaria, MCV, needle exchange, Queensland Pride, SX, syringe, tuberculosis
About the Author
Alex Dunkin
"Tall, dark and handsome", and a borderline coffee addict. Grew up in country South Australia prior to travelling and living overseas and then returning to the state to undertake university degrees in journalism and international studies with a focus on the Italian language. Constantly writing new material, both journalistic and creative, with a couple of recent awards under his belt including the youth prize in the New Mardi Gras literature prize.
Comments (3)
The Greeks are merely paying the piper for the free dancing they have been doing for years.
Let them pay their debts - let them live the lifestyle they can afford to live - not one subsidized by the rest of Europe. They have already defaulted on their debt - they should have to give up some more statues and stuff and quit whinging about the marbles.
I think that if they want to give us the Parthenon, then we could give them some lamb, a bit of rosemary, and some kebabs.
Greece has become the petri dish of the world's social, economic and anatomical ills.
This is so sad to read. What GREED and bad Governments does to nations. The Greeks are suffering big time and will continue for some years to come. We must assist them in any way we can.