North Macedonia: 55 cases of West Nile fever, two patients in serious condition

So far, 55 cases of West Nile fever have been recorded in North Macedonia. Health Minister Sasho Klekovski said at today’s press conference that 53 of them have been confirmed, while 52 patients are hospitalized.

Five cases were reported over the past week, two of which have not yet been confirmed. This marks a decrease compared with the previous three weeks, when the number ranged from 9 to 11 cases. Meanwhile, a change has also been observed in the geographic distribution of cases in Skopje: the latest cases have been recorded in the northern and northeastern parts of the city, while previously the main concentration was in the south.

According to Klekovski, 19 patients are currently hospitalized at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions. Of these, 17 cases have been confirmed and two remain unconfirmed.

The mortality rate so far is 11.5 percent, while treatment lasts an average of 14 days. The longest treatment period was 29 days, while the first patient was discharged after eight days.

The minister added that the highest number of patients hospitalized at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases was recorded on August 12, with 24 cases. Currently, according to this breakdown, the number is 18.