×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Friday
16
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 11°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Greece

Concern over continuous cases smallpox

The President of the National Vaccination Committee, Maria Theodoridou, urges parents to check their children's vaccinations - Who is at greater risk?

Newsroom February 14 11:37

“The parents should open their children’s health records and check their vaccination coverage. The same should be done for those under 50 years old. They should ask their parents if they have had the disease or if they have been vaccinated with both doses for smallpox”, was tThe recommendation of the honorary professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and president of the National Vaccination Committee, Maria Theodoridou, summarizing the problem and the solution regarding the reappearance of smallpox, which now also affects Greece.

The “forgotten childhood disease” of up to two decades ago has sparked epidemics in Europe, alarming Greek health authorities.

Five adults in Crete and Thessaloniki, including medical personnel, are the cases counted in our country so far. All were unvaccinated.

Moreover, until last Friday, one was still hospitalized.

The 3 epidemics that hit Greece

Three epidemics, 4,151 cases, four deaths. That’s the tally for our country regarding smallpox over the past 19 years.

The indigenous infection, thanks to vaccination, is essentially considered “forgotten” as cases are sporadic.

However, it remains a threat, with several European countries experiencing epidemic outbreaks attributed to vaccination, and consequently immunological, gaps during the years of the pandemic.

According to the updated data from the National Public Health Organization, during the period 2004-2023, three smallpox epidemics occurred in Greece in the years 2005-2006, 2010-2011, and 2017-2018, reported through the mandatory reporting system to the Department of Diseases Preventable by Vaccination and Communicable Diseases of the NPHO, totaling 4,151 cases of smallpox.

See Also:

Beril Mckissic: My great-grandmother is from Thessaloniki, I am 60% Greek (video)

Who is at greater risk?

>Related articles

“Aunt Pecu,” who lived outside all protocol: Who the unconventional and eccentric princess Irene was

High-tech fraud – SMS blaster attack: Bank data stolen using special equipment installed in a car’s trunk

The ordeal of a 28-year-old Greek man in Australia: He went on holiday to visit relatives, was injured at a beach, and is at risk of quadriplegia

Over the past 19 years, the disease has shown the highest incidence in the age group 0-4 years, with an average annual reported incidence of 15.6 cases per 100,000 population, followed by the age group 5-14 years with an average annual reported incidence of 5.11 cases per 100,000 population.

The average annual reported incidence in other age groups ranged from 1.96 (in the age group 15-24 years) to 0.01 cases per 100,000 population in the age group >64 years.

The average annual reported incidence was similar between men and women (men: 1.95/100,000 population, women: 1.86/100,000 population).

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#greece#health#medicine#smallpox#vaccination
> More Greece

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Sophie Turner’s first photo as Lara Croft released for Tomb Raider series

January 15, 2026

Obst sealed the win at the end against Panathinaikos as Bayern defeated them 85–78 in Munich

January 15, 2026

“You think you are descendants of Plato and Aristotle, but you’re not” – Rama’s tirade against Greek journalist, watch video

January 15, 2026

“Aunt Pecu,” who lived outside all protocol: Who the unconventional and eccentric princess Irene was

January 15, 2026

High-tech fraud – SMS blaster attack: Bank data stolen using special equipment installed in a car’s trunk

January 15, 2026

Ballistic missile strike hits pier in Ukraine

January 15, 2026

Ursula von der Leyen from the Green Line: Pushing for a solution to the Cyprus issue is a priority

January 15, 2026

The ordeal of a 28-year-old Greek man in Australia: He went on holiday to visit relatives, was injured at a beach, and is at risk of quadriplegia

January 15, 2026
All News

> World

“You think you are descendants of Plato and Aristotle, but you’re not” – Rama’s tirade against Greek journalist, watch video

The Prime Minister of Albania even claimed that Montenegro, with its 13,810 square kilometers and 623,000 residents, “is the largest and most important country in the region."

January 15, 2026

Ballistic missile strike hits pier in Ukraine

January 15, 2026

The ordeal of a 28-year-old Greek man in Australia: He went on holiday to visit relatives, was injured at a beach, and is at risk of quadriplegia

January 15, 2026

Volleyball player Derya Çayırgan arrested; Turkish media claim she is Mayor İmamoğlu’s mistress

January 15, 2026

Trump for Reza Pahlavi: “Very likable, but I don’t know if the Iranians will accept him”

January 15, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα