The danger bell for diseases transmitted by mosquitoes was raised today by experts who participated in the EODY conference “Climate Change and Public Health”.

They expressed their concern about the readiness of the health systems to deal with such an eventuality, which due to climate change may become a reality.

“I can’t imagine the picture in Greek hospitals, where each bed will have its own mosquito net, so that the patient with Dengue does not transmit the disease to the person next to him. This image is a real image in Brazil, where it has been placed in a state of emergency due to Dengue fever” characteristically said the Professor of Pathology, EKPA Sotiris Tsiodras.

He added that Brazil has recorded more than 5 million cases and is in a state of emergency due to Dengue fever. In fact, the outbreak of cases reaches 450% compared to previous years.

Greece, he said, had experienced a dengue fever epidemic in 1927-28, where thousands of people died.

In his speech, Sotiris Tsiodras emphasized the anxiety and the concern prevailing in the European Union, as there has been a 250% increase in dengue fever cases in South America.

Unfortunately, in recent years, he added, epidemic outbreaks have been recorded in France, Italy, Spain.

In Greece we have the appropriate transmitters, but unfortunately we do not have good surveillance throughout Europe. Greece is making significant efforts for good surveillance of conifers and I think that this is necessary along with the other tools available to EODY, noted Sotiris Tsiodras.

However, it is not only Dengue fever that threatens public health. Another mosquito-borne virus is West Nile. Cases are recorded every year in Europe and Greece and according to EODY the majority of citizens who will be infected will not develop symptoms, however there is a 1% who may develop meningitis, encephalitis and acute flaccid paralysis.