Skopje, 15 August 2023 (MIA) – There is no room for panic, it is absolutely not necessary nor productive in any way, said the head of the Infectious Diseases Commission, Aleksandar Petlichkovski, on Tuesday regarding the three confirmed cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in the country.

After the meeting initiated by Health Minister Fatmir Mexhiti, and attended by representatives of the Infectious Diseases Commission, Food and Veterinary Agency, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and of the Shtip and Veles public health centers, Petlichkovski said that North Macedonia is a part of the region in which the disease is endemic, while the conclusions of the Commission, he said, are moving in the direction of preventive measures.

“Informing the population and medical workers over the way in which the disease is transmitted, considering the disease when there are suspicious cases, and swift processing, i.e., forwarding suspicious cases to the appropriate institutions,” said Petlichkovski.

Petlichkovski said the country currently has enough tests for the disease, and added that additional quantities have been ordered and are expected to arrive.

“The medication which has some kind of effect is available as well, which means that we are prepared as much as a single country can be for such an endemic disease,” said Petlichkovski.

The head of the Commission said CCHF is not transmitted easily, and it is exclusively a result of a bite from an infected tick.

“Ticks are especially present in the summer months, and global warming further contributes to their increased activity. However, not all ticks are infected with a virus. Therefore, people are not being banned from taking trips in open areas, but when they do go, they should be aware and protected,” stressed Petlichkovski.

According to Petlichkovski, fishermen, hunters and farmers are most exposed to the danger of CCHF, as well as medical workers, due to their contact with secretions from infected patients.

He said the currently hospitalized patients with CCHF are in a good condition.

“The medical worker is in a really good condition. The critical period has passed for her and a complete recovery is expected. The third case, the fisherman from Veles, is currently in a good condition, however there are several days left in which this could change. Hopefully this won’t happen, but if his condition does worsen, we have the necessary medication at our disposal. So, we are hoping for a good development here as well,” said Petlichkovski.

He said CCHF has a serious mortality rate, but, he stressed that there are different types of the virus, some of which are related to higher mortality and others with lower.

“We found out that the livestock, the animals in Macedonia are constantly exposed to the virus. So, this is not a virus that emerged this year, because the studies show that over 30 percent of cattle, sheep, goats have been in contact with the virus. However, we don’t have information about hospitalized cases caused by the virus, which means that the virus is here, but, it is possible that a milder variant is circulating among the livestock,” said Petlichkovski.

The Infectious Diseases Commission also requested the creation of an action plan set to assess the prevalence of infected ticks in various regions, which is to be followed by disinsection as a crucial measure for reducing the risk of disease.

Photo: MIA