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Background: There are few publications focusing on vaccination and malaria chemoprophylaxis in adolescent travelers. We assessed pretravel vaccinations and malaria chemoprophylaxis of adolescents 12-18 years old traveling from Greece to international destinations. Methods: We prospectively studied 239 adolescents 12-18 years old during 2008-2016. A standard questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: Adolescents sought pretravel services at a mean of 24.1 days before departure. Their main destinations were sub-Saharan Africa (79 adolescents; 33.1%), Latin America (56; 23.5%) and North America (26; 10.9%). Almost half (46.1%) of them planned to stay abroad for at least 3 months. Sixteen (7.4%) adolescents planned to visit friends and relatives. The yellow fever vaccine and the typhoid vaccine were the most frequently administered vaccines (74.1% and 20.5%, respectively), while the hepatitis A vaccine and the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine accounted for most routine vaccinations (18% and 14.2%, respectively). The rabies and the typhoid fever vaccines were administered inadequately to adolescents traveling to endemic areas. Malaria chemoprophylaxis should have been prescribed in many cases traveling to sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Conclusions: Only a small number of adolescents from Greece traveling abroad seek pretravel counseling. We found significant gaps in typhoid fever and rabies vaccinations of adolescents traveling to endemic areas. We also found gaps in prescription of malaria chemoprophylaxis for those traveling to high-risk areas. There is a need to develop communication strategies to access adolescent travelers and improve appropriate vaccination and use of malaria chemoprophylaxis.

The objective of this study is to investigate antibiotic prescription practices among hospital-based physicians in Greece, using the 2007 national guidelines as the golden standard. A total of 168 physicians participated. Compliance rate with the first-line antibiotic treatment recommended by the national guidelines was 65.5% for acute bacterial sinusitis; 24% for acute uncomplicated cystitis; 36.4% for an acute febrile diarrheic syndrome; 38% for an afebrile adult with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and nonproductive cough of 7 days duration; 23.2% for streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis; 55.1% for a surgically sutured, dirty wound; and 48.2% for community-acquired pneumonia. The total mean rate of compliance with the first recommended antibiotic was 41.2%.

Please cite this paper as: Maltezou et al. (2012). Extremely low risk for acquisition of a respiratory viral infection in the emergency room of a large pediatric hospital during the winter season. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2012.00355.x. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of transmission of respiratory viral infections to children visiting the emergency room of a large pediatric hospital during winter. A total of 615 children were prospectively studied. Twenty-two (3.6%) children developed at least one symptom compatible with a respiratory viral infection within 17 days after the visit, including cough (12 children), fever (8), rhinorrhea (7), and/or respiratory distress (1). Three children (0.49%) developed an influenza-like illness. These findings indicate that transmission of respiratory viral infections to children visiting an emergency room during the winter season is extremely low.

Background: This report describes 3 consecutive outbreaks caused by genetically unrelated Serratia marcescens clones that occurred in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) over a 35-month period. Methods: Carriage testing in neonates and health care workers and environmental investigation were performed. An unmatched case-control study was conducted to identify risk factors for S marcescens isolation. Results: During the 35-month period, there were 57 neonates with S marcescens isolation in the NICU, including 37 carriers and 20 infected neonates. The prevalence rate of S marcescens isolation was 12.3% in outbreak 1, 47.4% in outbreak 2, and 42% in outbreak 3. Nine of the 20 infected neonates died (45% case fatality rate). A total of 10 pulsed field gel electrophoresis types were introduced in the NICU in various times; 4 of these types accounted for the 9 fatal cases. During outbreak 3, a type VIII S marcescens strain, the prevalent clinical clone during this period, was detected in the milk kitchen sink drain. Multiple logistic regression revealed that the only statistically significant factor for S marcencens isolation was the administration of total parenteral nutrition. Conclusions: Total parenteral nutrition solution might constitute a possible route for the introduction of microorganisms in the NICU. Gaps in infection control should be identified and strict measures implemented to ensure patient safety. Copyright (C) 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.