Greece recorded a significant increase in infectious diseases in 2024, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) reported, with 6,134 cases compared with 4,177 in 2023, a rise of 46.9%. The number of cases in 2022 was 3,563, while 2021 saw the fewest in seven years at 918, likely due to pandemic-related restrictions.
Influenza showed the largest increase, rising 93.4% to 2,305 cases from 1,192 in 2023. Measles cases reached 38. Salmonellosis rose 12.4%, while tuberculosis fell 19.2%. ELSTAT noted that tuberculosis is monitored by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which aims to eliminate the disease and related deaths by 2050.
Salmonellosis peaked in summer, from June to October, while tuberculosis cases were highest in March, April and December. Campylobacter infections totaled 908, a 37.8% increase from 2023, mainly between May and October. Whooping cough cases rose sharply to 440 from 12 in 2023. West Nile virus infections reached 220, concentrated in the summer months, a 35.8% increase over the previous year.
Influenza cases remained highest in winter, declining in spring and staying low from June to November, making it the most common infection in 2024.