North Macedonia has declared West Nile fever epidemics in four Skopje municipalities after four men aged 62 to 83 died from the neuroinvasive form of the disease, the Health Ministry said, following earlier reports of outbreaks spreading across southern Europe.
The 38 domestically acquired cases, 37 of them in the Skopje region, represent a sharp acceleration; twelve infections were identified in the past week alone. Three of the deceased had underlying health conditions. Health Minister Sasho Klekovski said authorities will meet Friday to address stagnant-water sites linked to mosquito breeding, while an SMS alert campaign has dispatched 38,500 messages to residents in affected areas.
Greece's caseload has nearly quadrupled since late July to 157 infections with 13 deaths, while Serbia has reported six cases. The World Health Organization, which urged heightened vigilance in July, notes that no approved human vaccine or specific antiviral treatment exists.