Gostivar under increased surveillance after epidemic outbreak, 109 new cases

The Minister of Health, Sasho Klekovski, announced that 109 new epidemic cases have been recorded in Gostivar and the authorities have imposed enhanced surveillance for the post-acute phase, with the aim of monitoring other infectious diseases that may emerge.

During a press conference, Klekovski stressed that in the last four days the number of new initial contacts has ranged from 80 to 125, making it difficult to determine whether this fluctuation is part of the normal situation or a result of the epidemic. To clarify this, he said that in-depth epidemiological surveys are necessary.

The minister pointed out that over the past decade, the average number of reported infectious diseases in Gostivar during July was 25 cases, indicating that it will soon be necessary to clearly distinguish between what belongs to the normal course and what is directly linked to the epidemic. He added that the total number of official complaints has reached 869, of which 602 people have been interviewed, and he called on citizens to cooperate closely with health teams to keep the situation under control.

As the acute phase of the epidemic is gradually calming down, Klekovski announced that, in consultation with the Commission for Infectious Diseases, it was decided to implement expanded surveillance in the post-acute phase. He appealed to family doctors and health institutions in Gostivar to focus their attention on upcoming challenges, especially the surveillance of hepatitis A and E, as well as other infections that may appear at the end of the epidemic cycle.

The minister added that detailed guidelines will be distributed to the Public Health Center, medical institutions, and family doctors, including recommendations for communication with the population. According to him, early recognition of symptoms is essential for health structures to intervene quickly, while he confirmed that testing capacities are sufficient.

As part of efforts to analyze the epidemic, Klekovski explained that two parallel systems are being studied. The first is the reporting system for infectious diseases, where the current number stands at 869 cases, while the second involves the analysis of all data on the ‘My Appointment’ platform related to diagnoses such as enterocolitis and similar pathologies, even if they have not been formally reported as infectious diseases.

He stated that the period from June 1 onwards is being covered, relying on comparative data from the last 12 years from existing archives. This approach, according to the minister, will open a second phase of evaluation to understand the development of events and the system’s response, promising objective and impartial communication of all details.