A 66 year old man from Skopje is in critical condition after contracting the West Nile fever. It’s believed that the virus was transmitted by a mosquito, while the man was residing in Macedonia in late July.

He is now suffering from a brain infection, and has already spent a week in intensive care. The disease was reported in neighboring countries and this is the first reported case in Macedonia this year.

About 20 percent of those who contract the virus develop flu like symptoms, and in 1 percent these symptoms develop into serious brain complications.