Skopje, 14 August 2023 (MIA) – The third confirmed case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in the country might have been infected while fishing on the Vardar river, in a humid and grassy area, said the head of the University Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Milena Stevanovikj, at a press conference Monday.

Stevanovikj said that epidemiologists, as well as the Food and Veterinary Agency and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, are tracking the situation with CCHF and are working on the ground, capturing and investigating insects.

The Director of the Clinic clarified that the disease is transmitted by ticks, but noted that it can also be transmitted through the consumption of milk or meat which have not been processed properly.

“Transmission is most common among individuals who are professionally engaged – medical workers while working with patients, animal farmers, fishermen, hunters as a result of insect bites. Those who slaughter and process meat products from possibly infected animals. These are the modes of transmission,” added Stevanovikj.

Specifically, in the case of the third patient, Stevanovikj said he wasn’t aware of any tick bites, but, she stressed, they are not always noticeable.

Four members of the patient’s family, as well as five medical workers who treated him at the General Hospital in Veles, have been placed under medical supervision.

Stevanovikj urged everyone who takes trips in nature, as well as fishermen, hunters, and mountaineers, to wear tall boots, high socks, and light clothing which would make insects more visible. She also stressed that medical workers should always follow the basic protection protocol when treating patients.

This is the third confirmed case of Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever in North Macedonia. The first case involved a direct infection through a tick bite and led to the death of a 27-year-old woman. The second infected person is a medical worker who is currently being treated at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and is in a stable condition.

Photo: MIA