North Macedonia has confirmed 44 cases of West Nile fever in recent weeks, including five deaths, as the mosquito-borne virus resurfaces across the region.
Forty-three patients were hospitalised, with most diagnosed with the neuroinvasive form of the disease, according to the latest data cited by local media.
On Aug. 21, health authorities had reported 43 cases. Forty were laboratory-confirmed, while the virus was detected in three others through an initial test. Authorities also confirmed the virus in a dead crow found in Skopje.
Health officials have identified 34 risk areas across the country, 13 of which are classified as high-risk. Irrigation canals, stagnant water, excavations and other potential mosquito-breeding sites are receiving particular attention.
Older people account for most infections. Of the 38 cases recorded by Aug. 18, 33 involved people over the age of 60. The four deaths registered by that date were men aged between 62 and 83.
Most people infected with West Nile virus experience no symptoms or only mild illness. A small proportion, however, can develop severe neuroinvasive disease, including inflammation of the brain or the membranes surrounding it.
The virus does not usually spread through ordinary person-to-person contact. Humans are primarily infected through the bite of an infected mosquito, most commonly from the Culex genus. Birds are the virus’s natural reservoir, while mosquitoes transmit it from birds to humans and other mammals.
Croatia has confirmed three cases during July and August. One patient, an older man from the Zagreb area, developed a severe form of the disease and was placed on a ventilator at the Dr Fran Mihaljević University Hospital for Infectious Diseases.
Doctors warn that serious complications are more common among older adults and people with underlying health conditions.
The renewed spread of the virus has also brought fresh attention to acclaimed actress Mira Furlan, who died in the United States on Jan. 20, 2021, aged 65. Media reports at the time said she had been seriously ill following a West Nile virus infection.
Her case is again being cited as a reminder that, although most infections are asymptomatic or mild, West Nile virus can occasionally cause severe and fatal illness.