New health agency urges mosquito prevention steps

Heralding the start of the mosquito season in Greece, the country's new National Organization for Public Health (EODY) - which replaces the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO) - on Thursday urged the public to protect themselves and their families from West Nile and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes.

Basic precautions include installing screens on windows, cleaning gutters and drains, clearing away weeds and brush, watering plants in the morning and using repellents both at home and on the skin when outside.

According to the new agency, 316 people were infected with West Nile last year and 47 died as a result, making 2018 the worst year since 2010. It stressed that the majority of those infected show negligible symptoms and just 1 percent experience damage to their central nervous system.

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