**3. Infectious diseases**

*Contemporary Developments and Perspectives in International Health Security - Volume 1*

Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees).

and basic elements of health care [4, 9].

consideration or status of refugees. In our work, we use the terms interchangeably and do not cast aspersions on those who are not truly refugees as defined by the 1952 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (and the 1967

Even before the debt crisis, there was a notion that Greece was not a safe host country for refugees [6]. Skordas and Sitaropoulos indicated that while the Greeks generally observed *non-refoulement* (the practice not mandating asylum seekers/ refugees to return to a country in which they are liable to be persecuted), the Greek system of asylum suffered from a "calculated ambivalence towards the legal situation of the victims of non-state agents" and failed to provide for "basic subsistence needs … and social protection for refugees and asylum seekers [6]." Despite Greece being on the receiving end of wave of refugees/migrants, the national policies were reactive with the occasional passing of ad hoc laws, executive decrees and polices directed at the behest of the European Economic Union (EU). These measures did not take into consideration the long-term view [7, 8]. Additionally, oppressive austerity initiatives forced on the Greeks by the EU have triggered "resistance" initiatives across the country making refugee-friendly positions/responses less likely [4]. In spite of these internal and external factors, the Greek nation, through anti-racist efforts and solidarity movements, managed to provide refugees with legal services, shared information regarding available social programs Greek language instruction

However, in 2015 a breaking point was reached. The conflicts in the Middle East resulted in more than 1,000,000 refugees arriving in Greece over a period of approximately 15 months [10]. This happened at the same time that the debt crisis was exacting a devastating toll on the Greek economy. Millions of people were leaving their home countries to find a safer place to relocate [11]. Most of these refugees were trying to get to central and northern Europe, through the route from Turkey to Greece [12]. However, the closure of the Western Balkans transit route on the border of Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in February/ March 2016 (EU-Turkey agreement), transformed Greece "from a transit country to a country hosting tens of thousands of third-country nationals for a still undefined, yet long-term, period. Greece progressed from the logic of repression (meaning to keep all foreigners out) to the logic of reception," and received 90% of the total population of refugees from 2016 to 2018 [9]. This resulted in between 10,000 and 20,000 asylum seekers who were unable to leave Greece and becoming confined to refugee camps where they were trapped and forced to live under poor economic and health conditions [13, 14]. Over time, this number has now has swollen to over 60,000 people [15]. In effect, since 2011 one half of the Syrian population has been displaced, either as refugees to another country or internally (secondary to conflict, poverty, food insecurity or loss of infrastructure) [16]. Herein, we will review the multitude of public health and medical problems that dominate the health security of refugees in Greece. These problems include infectious diseases, mental health,

women's health issues, traumas and burns, and children's health issues.

Using key words and the MESH headings provided by PubMed the authors reviewed the available papers and the determined which papers were the most relevant for the project. Additionally, key words were entered into Google Scholar resulting in further identification of source material; this included various forms of media and journalism. At the same time, documents originating with the United

Nations and World Health Organization were also identified and reviewed.

**106**

**2. Methods**
