Gostivar water crisis sees declining cases as authorities plan safe supply
Health Minister Sasho Klekovski reported that about 4,000 residents of Gostivar have been infected by a water‑borne gastro‑intestinal outbreak. New patient registrations fell to 80 on the latest day, roughly half of previous daily figures, indicating the epidemic is entering a quieting phase. The municipal water supply remains unsafe for drinking or technical use because residual chlorine levels are still below required standards. Teams from the state water utility are hyper‑chlorinating the network; the government expects an official statement tomorrow that the water will be “technically fit” for use. The national Commission for Infectious Diseases warned that hepatitis A and hepatitis E could appear as delayed consequences of the contamination, although no cases have been confirmed yet. Opposition parties, notably the SDSM, have demanded the resignation of Health Minister Klekovski and blamed the government for the crisis. The Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski affirmed that all remedial measures have been taken and that responsibility will be examined by the public prosecutor.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The national Commission for Infectious Diseases warned that hepatitis A and hepatitis E could appear as delayed consequences of the water contamination. (Commission for Infectious Diseases)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The outbreak is entering a stabilization phase with decreasing new cases. (Health officials)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Authorities are hyperchlorinating the Gostivar water network and expect an announcement tomorrow that the water will be technically safe for use. (Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Approximately 4,000 people have been infected in Gostivar due to contaminated water. (Health Minister Sasho Klekovski and multiple reports)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The municipal water supply in Gostivar is still unsafe for drinking and technical use due to insufficient residual chlorine. (Health Minister Sasho Klekovski and water quality officials)
- [● 3 SOURCES] On the latest reported day, 80 new patients were registered, half the number of previous days. (Health Minister Sasho Klekovski)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Opposition party SDSM demanded the resignation of Health Minister Sasho Klekovski over the water crisis. (SDSM statements)
- [● 2 SOURCES] More than 3,000 residents have sought medical help for symptoms linked to the contaminated water. (Health officials)