SKOPJE, Republic of North Macedonia, May 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - North Macedonia 
said on Friday that two mpox cases were registered for the first time in the 
Balkan country.

Both patients are from the capital Skopje, and according to their statements 
they did not travel abroad.

"Two male persons born 1985 and 1981 are infected with monkey pox. They are 
not connected cases," Institute for Public Health director Marija Andonovska 
told a press conference.

According to the Institute for Public Health the mpox cases were confirmed 
after three different laboratory tests.

Deputy Health Minister Jovica Andovski noted disease was not new and that 
there is a protocol for treatment.

Authorities said they contacted the relevant institutions after getting 
confirmation of the cases, and they will meet later Friday to discuss further 
steps.

Mpox is caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, manifesting 
itself in a high fever and skin lesions.

First identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, the disease had 
generally been confined to a dozen African countries before spreading more 
widely from 2022.

The WHO declared its highest level of alert in 2024.