North Macedonia’s Institute of Public Health: Five New West Nile Fever Cases Confirmed in July

Eight people have so far been diagnosed with West Nile fever in the country. The latest report from the Institute of Public Health (IPH) shows that seven cases were confirmed through laboratory tests, while another was classified as a probable case.

Five new cases were confirmed in July alone. Two of the patients had developed symptoms in June, while another began experiencing symptoms in May. The latest case was recorded last Thursday.

Six of the identified cases are locally acquired and were reported in Skopje and Veles. One patient from Skopje had traveled to Greece, but his stay in the country also fell within the incubation period.

Those infected include seven men and one woman. Six patients are over the age of 60, while the other two are between 50 and 59 years old.

All those affected developed the neuroinvasive form of the infection, involving the central nervous system, and were therefore hospitalized. Three patients have already been discharged and are continuing treatment at home.

The first case of West Nile fever in North Macedonia was recorded in 2011. From that year through the end of 2025, a total of 54 cases were laboratory-confirmed, while five people died as a result of complications linked to the disease.

West Nile fever is a viral infection spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes, mainly those of the Culex and Aedes genera. In nature, the virus circulates between wild birds and mosquitoes, while humans and horses are considered incidental hosts. Human-to-human transmission does not occur, except in rare situations such as blood transfusions or organ transplants./Telegrafi/