12 patients with West Nile fever in the Infectious Disease Clinic, three of them in serious condition

Health Minister Sasho Klekovski announced today that since September 19, no new admissions have been recorded at the Infectious Disease Clinic, marking the fourth day without fresh cases. According to him, there are currently 12 hospitalized patients, and three of them are in the intensive care unit, where they are receiving oxygen support. One of these latter is a patient who has been hospitalized for a long time, whose health condition remains uncertain.

The minister stressed that measures and activities are being implemented unchanged, regardless of the presence or absence of a declared epidemic. In this context, he disclosed that last week, the disinfection of the homes of people infected with the virus was carried out.

Klekovski also clarified that the latest spraying process in Skopje has been completed and that the results will be made public as soon as they are processed. This is because the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate (ISHSSH) conducted a new extraordinary inspection across the entire territory of Macedonia regarding these sprayings.

Speaking about the difficulties in forecasting the situation, the minister mentioned that the incubation period ranges from two to fourteen days, which complicates any prediction. He pointed out that there are municipalities without any cases, even though they have not been sprayed at all, while some municipalities in the Vardar region, where more spraying has been carried out, have recorded affected individuals. The minister proposed comparing experiences with Greece to identify best practices and warned that within a three- to five-year period, aerial spraying should be abandoned in favor of ground-based spraying, for which the necessary mechanization must be prepared. He added that work is underway with the Center for Public Health and the Institute of Public Health to also study other positive experiences from the neighboring country.

Finally, Klekovski emphasized the need to tighten punitive measures for municipalities that do not comply with the analyses approved by public health centers, even though this situation does not concern the Skopje region. He insisted that these measures must be such as to eliminate the possibility of cases appearing in places like Bogdanci, Valandovo, or other areas.