A West Nile virus epidemic in North Macedonia (a small landlocked country in the Western Balkans) has killed at least five people and infected at least 43, with the majority of cases recorded in the past three weeks, according to the country's health ministry. Authorities declared an epidemic state of emergency in several municipalities around the capital Skopje in early August, and have since launched large-scale aerial and ground mosquito-spraying operations, particularly around irrigation canals and wetland areas. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed on Friday that 12 European countries have reported human cases of the virus so far this year, with the peak transmission season typically running from July to September; there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for humans, making mosquito bite prevention the only form of protection.