Greece’s pediatric hospitals are reporting a sharp rise in flu cases, with hundreds seeking emergency care. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Niaid / CC BY 2
Two of Greece’s leading children’s hospitals, Agia Sofia and Aglaia Kyriakou, are seeing a sharp rise in pediatric flu cases.
Hospital figures show that flu-related admissions and severe illness in children have climbed by over 30%, and doctors say the surge is building as the seasonal wave peaks.
Two children in ICU, one intubated
At Agia Sofia Children’s Hospital, doctors are treating two children, aged six and three, in the intensive care unit (ICU) after serious flu complications.
Clinicians say neither child has any known underlying health problems. One patient, a three-year-old boy, required intubation, underscoring how severe this season’s infections can become.
Rising flu cases increase stress for emergency departments
Pediatric emergency departments are also feeling the strain. During the latest on-call shifts, hundreds of children arrived with severe flu symptoms, pushing hospitals to operate under growing daily demand.
Figures from the Panhellenic Federation of Employees in Public Hospitals (POEDIN) and its president, Michalis Giannakos, show the scale of the crisis:
More than 250 children with viral infections visit pediatric hospitals every day.
More than 50 children are admitted daily for inpatient care.
Health professionals describe these numbers as unusually high and warn that they continue to stretch frontline pediatric services.
Greece’s doctors urge vaccination as flu cases rise
Greece’s doctors are urging parents to vaccinate children even now, noting that flu activity will likely remain high for at least another two months. They also encourage parents to contact the child’s pediatrician early when symptoms appear, since timely medical care can reduce the risk of complications.
In addition, doctors advise parents to keep children with flu symptoms at home. They also recommend avoiding contact with older adults and people in high-risk groups, helping limit infections so as to protect vulnerable communities.