Antibiotic prescriptions in primary health care in a rural population in Crete, Greece.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic over-prescribing has generally been considered to be common in Greece, however not much is known about current antibiotic use. FINDINGS: The aim of this study was to investigate antibiotic prescribing in a well-defined rural population of 159 adults and 99 children over a 12-month period in Crete, Greece. The daily-defined doses (DDD) for 1000 people/day (DID) were 22.1 and 24.2 for children and adults respectively. The overall DID was 23.4, markedly lower than that previously reported for Greece. The use of penicillins was 49.5% of DDD in children and 31.7% in adults. Quinolones represented 2.2% of the total antibiotics (0% in children). Prescriptions of antibiotics were more common during the 3-month period from January to March for both children and adults. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study confirm the seasonal distribution of antibiotics used and the predominance of prescribing for respiratory tract infections. In the area of the study, antibiotic use seems to be lower than that previously reported for Greece, probably as a result of the recently established net of well-trained primary health physicians.

Vaccination coverage among adolescents in certain provinces of Greece.

AIM: To estimate the vaccination coverage in a sample of adolescents in Greece. METHODS: Vaccination status was estimated in 483 adolescents aged 15-19 y in four prefectures. The criteria for full vaccination were based on the recommendations of the Greek National Vaccination Schedule. RESULTS: The participation rate in the study was 78.7% (380/483 adolescents). The rates of full vaccination were 94.2% for poliomyelitis, 78.4% for hepatitis B, 77.4% for BCG, 65.0% for tetanus and 54.4% for diphtheria. The rates of full vaccination for measles, rubella and mumps were 65.0%, 57.6%, and 56.0%, respectively. For pertussis, the full vaccination rate was only 36.0%, and 7.1% of the study population was totally unvaccinated. The most missed dose for all vaccines was the final booster dose, which is usually administered in older children or adolescents. CONCLUSION: Adolescent vaccination coverage was not satisfactory in this study, mainly due to non-compliance to the final booster dose. Completion of missing vaccines at this age represents the last opportunity for massive intervention and would be of essential value for individual and community protection against common preventable diseases.