In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Greece, up to 28 December 2017, 922 measles cases have been notified in Greece, according to the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
This number is broken down by category with 538 cases being laboratory confirmed, 317 probable cases and 67 possible cases in 2017.
The highest frequency has been observed in South Greece. It affects people of Greek nationality (mainly young Roma children, as well as Greek adults mainly aged 25-44 years old) susceptible to measles, among them healthcare professionals who were unvaccinated or partly vaccinated.
Two deaths have been reported in laboratory confirmed measles cases. The first case concerned an 11-months old unvaccinated Roma infant, with underlying dystrophy, who died of septicemia. The second case concerned a 17-year-old unvaccinated Roma, who died of encephalitis.
More cases are expected to be laboratory confirmed in the near future, and an increase of cases as well as spread in other geographical areas cannot be excluded, health officials note.
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