Giorgos Patoulis

The Athens Medical Association (ISA) has expressed concern about the spread of West Nile virus and is urging the public to take all necessary precautions.
In a statement, it noted that there were 316 reported cases of the mosquito-borne infection last year, and that 50 of them were fatal. Most of the deaths, it said, were recorded in Attica.

The Shanghai Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Municipality of Maroussi launched a joint exhibition of traditional Chinese medicine and health culture in northern Athens on Friday.

Supporters of New Democracy's candidate for Attica regional governor Giorgos Patoulis rejoice outside his campaign headquarters in central Athens on Sunday as the first estimates started coming in, showing him trouncing SYRIZA incumbent Rena Dourou with more that 66 percent of the vote in the runoffs for local and regional government. [InTime News]

As exit polls for the European Parliament elections put opposition New Democracy firmly in the lead over ruling SYRIZA in Greece, the conservative party also appeared to be trouncing the leftists in regional elections, also held on Sunday, along with the municipal ballot.

Greek opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned Tuesday that the clock is ticking on the lifespan of the capital's main landfill in Fyli.
"Attica is sitting on a huge health and hygiene ticking bomb," the New Democracy chief said during a visit at the site in northwestern Athens.

The Medical Association of Athens (ISA) and the union of Greek hospital workers, known by its acronym POEDIN, have complained following the injury of a doctor at the Ippokrateio hospital when the elevator he was in plunged several floors.

The ISA referred to an "unprecedented incident which points to the collapse of the National Health Service due to underfunding and understaffing."

Greece may have finally exited its harsh eight-year bailout this summer, but challenges remain, such as halting the brain drain, including doctors, according to Giorgos Patoulis, president of the Athens Medical Association.

Interior Minister Alexis Haritsis on Thursday heralded 8,500 new state hirings in the sanitation sector, telling officials the government is determined to cover the local administrations' "permanent and enduring" needs.

With the death toll from the spread of the West Nile virus in Greece rising this week to 17, the Athens Medical Association (ISA) is urging authorities to draft an emergency action plan to deal with what it describes as a growing threat to public health.

Heavy rainfall in the past few days has aggravated the capital's already dire trash problem, as structural damage to Attica's main landfill has caused waste to pile up in the streets of Athens.

The rain triggered streams of trash to flow through the streets of Athens and washed large tangles of waste into storm drains. Local residents complained of smell and pollution.