Skopje, 8 January 2026 (MIA) – A total of 1,725 flu cases and flu-like illnesses were registered between December 29, 2025 and January 4, 2026, almost doubled compared to the previous week, which recorded 771 cases. The number of cases this week compared to the same week last season, recording 331, is up 5.2 times, show data of the Public Health Institute.

Macedonia has been registering a high flu virus intensity with expectation that cases will continue to rise in the coming period, the Institute’s director Marija Andonovska said Thursday.

This is nothing new and expected, she said, since it was the holiday season that involved family gatherings.

“Flu cases are expected to peak in the second half of this month and in early February. We expect the number of flu cases to rise with the school break ending,” she told reporters adding that 749 people are between the ages of 15 and 64; 618 are children aged 5-14; 229 are children under the age of four and 129 are people over 65. The highest incidence is registered in children between the ages of five and 14, according to her.

Most flu cases are registered in the capital Skopje, 716, followed by Tetovo, Kumanovo, Veles and Shtip.

“No fatalities with flu-like symptoms have been registered since the start of the season,” Andonovska said.

Healthy people, she noted, should avoid large gatherings and premises with a high frequency of people, contact with people showing flu-like symptoms, such as sneezing and coughing. The doctor also advised people to wash their hands frequently, to ventilate rooms and practice a healthy lifestyle, including drinking a lot of water, eating a healthy diet and taking vitamins and minerals.

Influenza A virus is highly circulating this year, Andonovska said when asked by reported noting that the Public Health Institute will continue monitoring the situation and might propose public recommendations if flu cases continue to rise drastically.

Photo: MIA 

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