Greece Will Require Immigrants to Show Health Certificates
By Tom Stoukas - Apr 2, 2012 7:46 AM ET



Greece will require immigrants to obtain health certificates before being granted work permits and those with contagious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis will be quarantined in medical facilities, Health Minister Andreas Loverdos said.

HIV cases in areas of central Athens, where illegal immigrants and intravenous drug users congregate, will probably reach more than 500 cases this year compared with 250 last year and 15 in 2010, Loverdos said at a press conference yesterday, according to an e-mailed transcript from the ministry.

In the first three months of the year more than 100 cases of HIV were recorded in the area, the minister said. Hundreds of unlicensed brothels in Athens and other cities are leading to the further spread of disease, the minister said.

Last week, Greece announced a plan to create 30 detention centers across the country, each to house as many as 1,000 illegal immigrants. The first is likely to open this month.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Stoukas in Athens at astoukas@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Rummer at arummer@bloomberg.net

Greece Will Require Immigrants to Show Health Certificates - Bloomberg