Danillovski on West Nile fever: Most infections go unnoticed, severe forms are the exception

Epidemiologist Dragan Danilovski has explained in a social media post that the eight confirmed cases of West Nile fever in North Macedonia so far do not reflect the real picture of the virus’s spread. According to him, these data should not be interpreted as if all those affected develop severe forms of the disease.

All identified patients to date have manifested the neuroinvasive variant of the infection. Danilovski explains that these episodes are the most visible and easily enter official reports, while a much larger number of cases remains outside statistics because they are not diagnosed. The nature of the virus is such that approximately 80 percent of infected persons show no clinical signs. About 20 percent experience a mild flu-like condition with fever, while the severe neuroinvasive form affects less than one percent of those infected, mainly the elderly and individuals with chronic pathologies or compromised immunity.

“The eight severe cases recorded are just the visible tip of the epidemiological ‘iceberg’. Beneath this surface lies a large number of infections that cause no symptoms or pass in mild and non-specific forms, which cannot be recognized as West Nile fever,” emphasizes the epidemiologist.

He warns that in the absence of detailed information, public opinion may mistakenly believe that the virus causes severe disease in all those it infects, or even that it has become more aggressive. Such a conclusion, Danilovski adds, is not supported by current scientific knowledge.