ECDC experts on country visit to Greece
The purpose of this ECDC visit is to discuss the current situation regarding HIV, antimicrobial resistance and vector-borne diseases in Greece with the experts from the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO) and the Greek Deputy Minister of Health.ECDC will present the key findings from an in-depth assessment of the overall HIV situation in Greece and, in particular, the on-going outbreak of HIV among people who inject drug in Athens. Possible ways to scale up interventions to prevent onwards transmission among people who inject drugs will be discussed. ECDC has assisted the Greek authorities in their response to the HIV outbreak in the past months. The risk assessment will also be presented at public health conference on 30 November 2012 on the eve of World AIDS Day on 1 December.
Discussions with the KEELPNO experts will also include the challenges regarding the increasing antimicrobial resistance in Greece based on latest data on antibiotic resistance from EARS-Net, released on 16 of November 2012, on the occasion of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day. Discussions will also focus on the future collaboration of ECDC with KEELPNO and the provision of technical support for Greece’s fight against antimicrobial resistance. This comes after an invitation to ECDC by KEELPNO requesting technical support to help curb antimicrobial resistance. ECDC as an agency of the European Union identifies, assesses and communicates current and emerging risks of communicable diseases to European Union citizens. Management of these risks as well as of the factors that contribute to control infectious diseases are under the responsibility of each EU Member State. ECDC can provide scientific advice and technical support to a country upon request of the Member State.
ECDC’s Guidance on HIV testing
