Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

News

WHO declares polio a public health emergency

BMJ 2014; 348 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g3124 (Published 06 May 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g3124

Rapid Response:

Re: WHO declares polio a public health emergency

Dear Editors,

Millions of Greeks are completely uninsured.
Poverty leads parents to neglect indispensable vaccinations! [3][4][5][6][7]
Indebted public hospitals do not have funds to provide vaccinations to every child in Greece. [2]

Exceptional funding is necessary to prevent dangerous outbreaks of infective diseases among Greek children. [1]
Evidently, no vaccinations are performed for hundreds of thousands of children in Greece.

Tens of thousands of immigrants from polio endemic areas enter Greece every month.

References
[1] http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_13/05/2013_498434
[2] http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d200?tab=responses
[3] http://www.vaccinestoday.eu/vaccines/greek-crisis-children-missing-vacci...
[4] http://www.euractiv.com/health/doctors-thousands-children-greec-news-532216
[5] http://www.enetenglish.gr/?i=news.en.society&id=1658
[6] http://www.euronews.com/2012/03/30/greeks-who-cannot-pay-for-children-s-...
[7] http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/12/05/thousands-of-children-in-gree...

Competing interests: No competing interests

02 June 2014
Stavros Saripanidis
Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Private Surgery
Thessaloniki, Greece