North Macedonia registered a fifth death connected to West Nile virus on Saturday, health authorities said. The Balkan country is conducting extensive fumigation against mosquitoes in response to the outbreak.
According to the Health Ministry, at least 43 cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been registered, with most occurring in the last three weeks. The head of the Infectious Disease Clinic, Fadil Cana, said that almost every day someone is hospitalized, with about 20 to 21 patients at the clinic.
Earlier this month, health authorities declared epidemics in several municipalities in the capital, Skopje, and surrounding areas. Health Minister Saso Klekovski appealed to citizens to take precautions, drain their pools, and report dead birds, which are believed to be virus reservoirs, to authorities.
Extensive aerial and ground fumigation has been conducted in Skopje and other areas in recent weeks, particularly around irrigation canals and bodies of water. West Nile virus was first registered in the country in 2011, with 54 confirmed cases by the end of 2025.
There are no approved human vaccines and no specific treatments for the virus, according to the World Health Organization. In Europe, most human infections occur during mosquito season, which generally runs from late spring to autumn, with peak transmission between July and September.