site.btaStomach Illness Outbreak in Gostivar, North Macedonia Prompts Epidemic Declaration

Around 3,100 people suffering from stomach-related illnesses sought medical attention in Gostivar over the past week, said Saso Klekovski, Director of North Macedonia's Health Insurance Fund, speaking at a press conference on Monday. An epidemic was declared in the town on Sunday and, although the official cause has yet to be established, the government and political parties are supplying bottled water to residents.

Under a government decision, 50,000 litres of bottled water were due to be delivered to Gostivar on Monday. The authorities have called for a full investigation into the incident and for those responsible to be held accountable.

Since last week, hundreds of Gostivar residents have been seeking medical assistance every day with stomach complaints, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and fever. The main suspicion is that the outbreak is linked to the town's water supply. An inspection found that a pump had been illegally connected to Gostivar's water distribution system, drawing water from the Vardar River into the network in order to increase water pressure.

Samples were taken from the town's water supply system at the request of the prosecution service. Marija Andonovska, Director of the Institute of Public Health, told a press conference she could not disclose the results of the laboratory tests on Gostivar's drinking water "in the interest of the investigation". Media in North Macedonia reported that the test results showed "deviations from the normal parameters consistent with the current situation in the town", while some outlets said that "faecal coliform bacteria were detected in two of the four samples, while elevated chlorine levels were found in one sample".

Visiting Veles on Monday, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said: "As a government, we did our job within two days. This morning I was informed by the Institute of Public Health that everything within its remit had been completed and submitted to the prosecution service [...] At the same time, yesterday the government took steps to provide 50,000 litres of bottled drinking water for the residents of Gostivar. This will continue every day."

As early as Friday, the Food and Veterinary Agency ordered that tap water should not be used in Gostivar. Nevertheless, according to Klekovski, another 564 residents sought medical treatment for the same symptoms on Sunday alone.

Meanwhile, the country's political parties traded blame over the situation. The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) accused the institutions of failing to respond promptly, while VMRO-DPMNE criticized SDSM for not seeking accountability from the local authorities.