title: Legal aspects of public health: how law frames communicable disease control in Greece.
abstract: We reviewed Greek law (legislation, historic Royal Decrees, and modern Presidential ones, 1833-2010) pertinent to control of communicable diseases and compared this body of Greek law with the revised International Health Regulations. Greece authorizes and regulates communicable disease control commensurate with public health risks, and integrates the principles of equality, objectivity, and respect for human rights. Despite strength at the level of principles, Greek law lacks coherence, clarity, and systematization. An inadequate body of regulations means legislation falls short of adequate implementing authority and guidelines; public health authorities often cannot find or understand the laws, nor are they certain about allocation of jurisdictional authority. We identified areas for improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department for Interventions in Health Care Facilities, Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3-5 Agrafon Street, Athens 15123, Greece.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hatzianastasiou
authors.forename: Androula
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pavli
authors.forename: Helena C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Maltezou
mesh_terms: D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*