AHV: A single dead bird in town is not cause for panic — report only larger numbers
Agency asks residents to report only clusters of dead birds and warns against touching or moving carcasses
The Agency for Food and Veterinary (AHV) urged citizens not to panic over isolated incidents of dead birds found in urban areas, saying single carcasses — including crows or other migratory wild birds — are not by themselves a reason for alarm.
AHV advised that special attention is warranted only when a larger number of dead birds appears in the same area within a short time. In such unusual events the agency asks residents to contact the competent services and to avoid any direct contact, handling or moving of dead birds.
The agency said it is continuously monitoring the situation on the ground and, according to risk assessments, is taking all necessary measures for surveillance, sample collection and appropriate laboratory testing.
Health authorities report new fatal case and hospitalisations
Health authorities have linked wild birds with the possible transmission of West Nile virus alongside mosquitoes. Minister of Health Sasho Klekovski yesterday said, "250 different bird species can be a reservoir of the disease, including the raven." He called on citizens who find a dead bird to report it to the AHV.
The AHV has so far received one report of a dead bird in Gostivar, but the West Nile virus was not identified there.
A new fatal case of West Nile disease has brought the total to four deaths so far. At the Infectious Diseases Clinic there are currently 20 patients hospitalised with West Nile disease, of whom 18 are laboratory-confirmed cases and two are clinically suspected. Five patients are in intensive care receiving treatment according to clinical protocols. The fourth fatal case involved a patient who had been treated at the Infectious Diseases Clinic for 27 days.
Photo: press material from the event
