Unbelievable, but true. Malaria is apparently making a comeback in Greece 38 years after the country was officially deemed free of the disease.
Some 40 cases of malaria were detected in Greece in the first seven months of this year, According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO), six of which had no history of travel to countries where the potentially deadly disease is still endemic.
In previous years, there had been a total of 30-50 cases recorded but almost exclusively among people who had traveled to Greece from countries where malaria is still prevalent. KEELPNO attributed the rise in malaria cases to climate conditions, the activity of mosquitoes and a greater influx of immigrants. This prompted the watchdog to warn of a “real prospect” of the disease re-establishing itself in Greece.