Helena C Maltezou

..To assess the attitudes about mandatory vaccination and vaccination coverage against vaccine-preventable diseases among health-care workers (HCWs) working in tertiary-care hospitals in Greece...

..Pulse-field gel electrophoresis in eye isolates found 95% genetic similarity; however, extensive environmental and carriage investigation revealed no source of infection...

..Furthermore, areas at risk for further CCHF expansion should be identified and human, vector and animal surveillance be strengthened...

..Surveillance to monitor the emergence of resistance to these agents as well as implementation of infection control measures should be strengthened. MBL inhibitors are urgently needed, however, none is in late pre-clinical development...

..We present herein the public health interventions and the case definitions we developed for the epidemiological investigation. The possibility of CCHF establishing endemicity in this area is discussed...

..Our efforts should focus on rational use of available antibiotics, enhancement of infection control measures, and implementation of active antibiotic resistance surveillance...

..We investigated an outbreak of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections that occurred among healthcare workers (HCWs) but not among residents of a long-term care facility (LTCF)...

..There are models which show probability of CCHF extending to other countries around the Mediterranean basin suggesting that the vector, veterinarian, and human surveillance should be enhanced...

..In order to control visceral leishmaniasis worldwide, treatment advances should become affordable in the poorest countries, where they are needed most...

..Although person-to-person transmission did not take place, education of HCWs about the modes of CCHF virus transmission and appropriate infection control measures is needed in order to avoid future nosocomial cases...

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..Combination regimens should be further investigated in large trials. The costs of antileishmanial agents should be minimized in poor endemic areas where there are needed most...

..Nosocomial influenza constitutes a serious risk among patients with underlying diseases and those of extreme age, and is associated with excess health-care costs. This article will review recent literature on this area...

..Given the dynamics of CCHF emergence in the past decade, development of new anti-viral drugs and a vaccine is urgently needed to treat and prevent this acute, life-threatening disease...

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..2% of the cases of meningitis, and 0.5% of the cases of pneumonia. Fever and headache were the most common symptoms at presentation. Our study indicates that Q fever is a rare cause of hospitalization during childhood...

..pneumoniae is an important cause of LRTI necessitating hospitalization among children in Greece. Capillary PCR in sputum may diagnose M. pneumoniae LRTI in the acute setting and direct therapy and isolation of patients...

..New strategies should be explored to built safety perception towards influenza vaccines and enhance vaccination rates among HCWs...

..Efforts should focus on hospital- and HCW-associated factors to increase vaccination uptake...

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..386, 95% CI 0.999-5.704, p-value 0.036). In conclusion, in Greece influenza vaccination rates among HCWs remain low; however, the implementation of specific strategies was associated with increased vaccine uptakes...

..1%), whereas 55.2% of HCWs reported vaccination to protect patients. Main reasons for refusing vaccination were perception of not being at risk for influenza (43.2%) and fear of vaccine adverse effects (33.4%)...

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..90%), while main reasons for refusing vaccination were belief that they are not at risk for contracting influenza (44.5%), doubts about vaccine effectiveness (20.79%), and fear of vaccine adverse effects (20.33%)...

..The method could be also indicative for the discrimination of immune persons from those susceptible to infection with the pandemic H1N1 strain, as well as for the establishment of effective vaccination programs...

..Miltefosine, an oral active agent, was recently identified, and might fulfil our expectations for an effective, safe, easily administered and affordable antileishmanial treatment...

..We identified areas for improvement...

..Mass gatherings such as Olympic Games represent a significant challenge for public health. This paper focuses on relevant health and safety issues for all travellers travelling to Greece for the summer 2011 Special Olympic Games...

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..The purpose of this article is to review recent literature on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever with emphasis on its epidemiology and management...

..Counselling about rabies and management of risk exposure needs to be improved. Our findings indicate the need to promote continuous training in Travel Medicine in Greece and provide practical information about rabies prophylaxis...

..There is an urgent need to increase awareness about malaria of this group of travellers...

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..For patients with invasive infections that may be caused be CA-MRSA, vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid represent appropriate empirical therapeutic options...

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..Studies are required to determine the spectrum of morbidity associated with Q fever during childhood...