title: Paediatric malaria in Greece in the era of global population mobility.
abstract: We reviewed the medical records of children admitted because of malaria to four tertiary-care hospitals in Greece during 1972-2002. A total of 21 cases were found, including 20 (95.2%) diagnosed during 2003-2012. Sixteen (76.2%) children had been in a malaria-endemic country within a median of 50 days before the onset of their symptoms. Main causes of travel were immigration to Greece and to visit friends and relatives (VFRs). A considerable epidemiological shift of paediatric malaria occurred in Greece during the past decade, which is attributed almost exclusively to the increase of immigrants and travellers VFRs.
authors.affiliation: Department for Interventions in Health-Care Facilities, Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3-5 Agrafon Street, Athens, Greece. helen-maltezou@ath.forthnet.gr
authors.forename: Helena C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Maltezou
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsolia
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Polymerou
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theodoridou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014195:Travel