West Nile Fever: FVA Begins Collecting New Samples from Dead Birds

Following reports from citizens about dead birds, the Food and Veterinary Agency, together with Skopje’s municipal utility company, will conduct field inspections. During this operation, new samples will be collected and analysed to verify the presence of the West Nile fever virus.

The FVA confirmed to TVM that the special team established last week had previously collected samples, but they proved unsuitable for laboratory analysis.

“The Food and Veterinary Agency has received several reports from citizens about dead birds. In this regard, a special team was formed last week, which went into the field on Friday and, in cooperation with PE Communal Hygiene – Skopje, secured samples from the dead birds. The initial inspection showed that the samples were dry and unsuitable for analysis. For this reason, starting Monday, the field team will secure new samples for analysis,” the Food and Veterinary Agency said.

So far, five people have died as a result of West Nile fever. Meanwhile, the Clinic for Infectious Diseases reported that no new cases of infection with the virus were recorded today.

Currently, 22 patients are hospitalised at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, while four of them are in critical condition. The youngest patient is 25 years old. Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control show that the highest number of West Nile fever cases has been recorded in Italy, Greece, Spain, Macedonia and Romania. /rtvm2