The spread of swine flu across Greece has been incredibly swift, with more than 200 cases confirmed in laboratory tests in the past week alone, an expert report revealed.
520 people have been confirmed as having contracted the H1N1 virus in Greece, according to the report by the Hellenic Center for Infectious Diseases Control (KEEL).
The report adds that the total number of Greek cases is probably much higher than this, as the aforementioned figure refers only to the results of the laboratory tests that are conducted on selected suspect cases.
Meanwhile, there are fears that the rate of the flu’s spread will increase when tourist arrivals peak.
In the meantime, Greek schools are expected to open as scheduled in the fall, though Education Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos said authorities “are ready to address any eventuality.”
The rise of swine flu saw the the leader of main opposition PASOK, George Papandreou, accused the Karamanlis Government of a lack of serious planning, coordination and an inadequate public awareness campaign.
Reacting to the criticism, Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos accused the opposition leader of “petty politicking”.