West Nile virus outbreak kills four in North Macedonia

Four people have died from West Nile fever among 38 confirmed cases reported in North Macedonia so far this year, with three of the deaths occurring over the past week, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

The virus, which mostly spreads to people through mosquito bites, can cause severe, life-threatening illness in about one in 150 people who are infected, according to the World Health Organisation.

The detection comes as the WHO has warned that warmer temperatures are giving mosquitoes more time and territory to spread the virus across Europe, with cases climbing in Greece and Italy this summer.

The ministry’s report said that 28 males and 10 females had been infected, and 33 of them were above the age of 60. Twelve of the cases were detected last week.

All of the cases, most of which occurred in the region around the capital Skopje, were hospitalised, according to the report.

The average number of people infected with West Nile virus in the period from 2011-2025 was less than one a week during the top summer months, when mosquitoes spread, the report showed.

The ministry said it had intensified efforts to inform and protect people in the areas affected by the virus, and was taking measures to control the spread of the mosquito population.

In neighbouring Serbia, up to six people were reported as infected so far this year, according to epidemiologist Dragana Plavsa, quoted by the NIN weekly.