Thirty new cases of whooping cough (pertussis) were registered in North Macedonia between May 24 and May 30, according to the latest weekly report from the Public Health Institute, released on Friday.

Most of the new cases were recorded in Skopje, where an epidemic has been declared. Three cases were reported in Kumanovo, four in Tetovo, and one each in Prilep and Kratovo. The ages of the newly registered patients range from 1 month to 77 years, with most patients being younger than one year old.

As of May 30, North Macedonia has recorded a total of 661 whooping cough cases, with an incidence rate of 36.0 per 100,000 residents.

The majority of those who contracted the virus reside in the capital, Skopje, accounting for 79.9 percent of the cases. The remaining cases are spread across 18 other towns in the country.

“Of the registered cases (661), 400 or 60.5 percent were either not vaccinated, not fully vaccinated according to their age, or lacked proof of vaccination,” the report states.

A total of 49,934 whooping cough vaccine doses were administered from January 18 until May 30.