North Macedonia (a landlocked country in the western Balkans with a population of 1.8 million) has recorded at least 60 confirmed cases and eight deaths from West Nile virus so far this year, already exceeding the 54 cases and five deaths logged across the entire period since the mosquito-borne disease was first detected there in 2011. The outbreak is concentrated largely around the Skopje region, the country's capital and surrounding municipalities. The surge, which is part of a broader spike in West Nile virus across southern and southeastern Europe linked partly to climate change, has prompted urgent calls for improved mosquito monitoring and control measures.