Greek authorities will receive the first batch of vaccines for the H1N1 strain on September 18. However, the country's healthcare ministry said that the vaccines will not be administered for about a month, until they are given the green light from the European Medical Agency, Greek daily Kathimerini reported on September 18 2009.
 

 
The news comes just a week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned countries in the northern hemisphere to prepare themselves for a second wave of pandemic spread. "Countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases," the WHO report says.
 
Countries in temperate parts of the southern hemisphere should remain vigilant. "As experience has shown, localised 'hot spots' of increasing transmission can continue to occur even when the pandemic has peaked at the national level".
 
Meanwhile, Greek health minister Dimitris Avramopoulos has told the media that the plan is for the first batch of vaccines to be administered before November, when a spike in H1N1 cases is expected in the country. Greek authorities have already earmarked a 40 million euro package for vaccines and placed further orders with Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi for eight million vaccine doses.
 
A French national died in Greece on September 17, his death being confirmed as a direct result of the H1N1 strain. Greece has more than 2000 confirmed cases of swine flu, 14 of which are described as severe, including two that are said to be 'critical' - a French woman aged 30 and a Greek woman aged 58.