Hantavirus: it comes from mice and causes death The Italian patient was infected in Tirana TIRANA — (c.bo) — From the Native American reservations, alarm has spread across Europe, Italy, and now Albania. It is called “Hantavirus,” and experts in the United States do not hesitate to describe it as the most frightening disease after AIDS. The number of people affected by this virus has continued to grow, and this very fact has prompted health authorities in many countries to seek the necessary means of treatment and prevention. In just the first six months of this year, 29 cases were confirmed among the Navajo, 16 of whom died. Now the presence of the virus has also been reported in Albania. An Italian fell ill, was then admitted to and treated at Rome’s Spallanzani Hospital. His condition worsened, he was at risk of dying, and he only just managed to survive in time. This was the first case of “Hantavirus” reported in Italy. “I think it is excessive to speak of an alarm,” explains Dr. Giuseppe Visco, director of Spallanzani Hospital, “because to speak of an alarm there must be sick people, and at present there are none. The only case was that of an Italian, infected in Albania, perhaps by a mouse, who has now recovered.” At the Higher Institute of Health in Rome, Dr. Paola Verani Borguglio adds: “Hantavirus is a disease found especially in the Balkan region, where at certain times it reappears with great force. Those most exposed, although cases are very rare, are Albanian, Yugoslav and Russian citizens.” According to experts from the World Health Organization in Geneva, people can become infected when they come into contact with the droppings of mice, which often carry the virus. According to a study conducted in Italy in 1984, 50 percent of the mice found along the Tiber have been affected by this disease. American scientists have been studying the virus for at least 10 years, since 400 U.S. Army soldiers were infected during the war in Korea. The laboratories at Fort Detrick (in Maryland) had managed to determine the life cycle and habits of Hantavirus, and had also developed a diagnostic test and an initial treatment. Then the outbreak of the Gulf War and the subsequent reduction in funding caused the research to be halted before a vaccine had yet been discovered. The symptoms of Hantavirus are general and complex: they cause, more than other illnesses, a very high fever, muscle pain and coughing. Then eye [symptoms], breathing difficulties and minor hemorrhages. Until now, the population most affected has been the Navajo Indians of New Mexico, among whom the greatest number of deaths has been recorded. In any case, the case of the Italian infected by the virus in Albania should not cause alarm among others. One characteristic of Hantavirus—which distinguishes it greatly from AIDS—is that it is not transmitted from person to person. In other words, it can be said that a sick person cannot infect others. The only precaution recommended by experts is to be careful around mice.

Albanians in prison TIRANA — Tension has risen between Albanians and the Serbian authorities in Kosovo following the incidents that took place on Friday in Prizren. A campaign of detentions and arrests has begun throughout the province. According to some sources, around 250 people have been detained so far, 150 of whom remain in prison. The situation has become even more difficult after the accusations made by the Pristina Serbian newspaper “Jedinstvo,” which accused the Democratic League of Kosovo of being “conspirators against national integrity.” The same publication called for the most powerful political party among Kosovo’s Albanian population, the Democratic League, to be outlawed. Serious accusations were also made by Serbian far-right circles. Ranko Babic, a Serbian member of parliament from Pristina, said that “the arrival of American forces at the border between Macedonia and Serbia—as requested by the government of Albania—poses a very great danger to Serbia and is a factor destabilizing the entire region.” Babic’s accusations come at a time when several governments, including Balkan ones, have called for the deployment of international troops to prevent the conflict from spreading in the south of the peninsula.

Erald Dervishi will not take part in the World Championship His father: «I taught him chess to keep him quiet. Later I discovered he had talent. That is how his road to success began» DURRES — Erald Dervishi, European chess champion, was the leading contender for the World Championship. He was, because he did not manage to take part in the Bratislava Championship. He is only 14, and his dream was shattered. “When I became European Champion, I felt joy,” says Eraldi, then falls silent. His silence says more than words could. The president of the Albanian Olympic Committee sent him a congratulatory telegram. And that was all the encouragement the chess prodigy received. But someone was late in notifying him about the World Championship, even though its schedule had been planned from the beginning of the year. His coach, Fatos Muca: “I personally regret it; the fact is that the secretary of the Chess Federation did not make the arrangements for this event.” The Hungarian ambassador issued a visa for the young prodigy. When he traveled to Hungary, he became stranded there together with master Fatos Muca, because they did not have the invitation to Bratislava with them and could not obtain a Slovak visa. They returned home on tickets sponsored by the “Adriatika” Maritime Agency and the seaport of the city of Durrës. Eraldi is Albania’s chess champion in the under-20 category; at the age of 6 he beat a computer at chess. He likes mathematics, rock music, “Heavy Metal,” football, swimming and speaking English. The world is suited to his abilities, because he does not want to travel around the world to beg for work, but to show that he is capable and bring pride to his country. He was 4 years old when his parents lived in just one room, and his father, to entertain him and keep him quiet at the same time, began teaching him the moves of chess. But within a year he challenged his father to the “silent duel.” He was introduced to the adults of the Durrës Chess Federation, who were amazed by Erald’s talent. He has no chess literature and no computer to train on. His home now consists of two rooms, and they have only 40 lekë a day. Nevertheless, he is a champion. In a corner of his home, inside a cardboard box, lies his medal; on its square field are written the words BOYS 14, and beneath them is a laurel leaf. It is the European Champion’s medal.

Bombings and incursions by Jewish forces

Rome: Three Fellow Countrymen Arrested ROME — (p.re). The “Italian adventure” of 30-year-old Fatos Bushi has ended tragically. On Saturday evening, Bushi, who had been a refugee in Italy for some time, fell victim to two serious wounds inflicted on him by three fellow countrymen with a large pair of scissors. The incident took place on Cenceti Street, in the southeastern outskirts of the Italian capital. Rushed to the “Figlie di San Camillo” hospital, the victim died just minutes later. Italian police have detained three Albanians for the murder. They are 31-year-old Arben Sallihari, his 38-year-old brother Haxhi Sallihari, and 20-year-old Gazmir Frakulla. All three were caught in the act while cleaning the still-bloodstained scissors and were immediately taken to Rome’s Regina Celi prison. According to Italian investigators, the full sequence of events in the tragedy is now clear. The quarrel that ended with Bushi’s death was apparently caused by a sum of money that Fatos Bushi owed the other three Albanians. They had given Bushi 1 million lire some time earlier to obtain a document that was to be collected by their fellow countryman in Italy. Since the promised document was not found, they asked for the money back, which Bushi apparently refused to pay. A bloody quarrel then began, during which the victim was struck several times with the scissors. Bushi’s brother was also present at the incident — he was slightly injured — as was another relative of his.

Bombardments and Incursions by Jewish Forces TEL AVIV — In Lebanon, the guerrilla movement has turned into a real war; after this long phase of Arab-Israeli talks, the Middle East is hot again. The sounds being heard are no longer the rumors of diplomats or delegates, but the roar of guns and the explosions of bombs. Lebanon has once again become an enemy for Israel, and it is thought that it may join forces with Syria. At 10:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, the Israeli armed forces attacked guerrilla bases. Aircraft and helicopters followed one another, and thousands of people have been sent to the northern border and into the interior of the “Neutral Zone,” where they are ready to intervene. For their part, the guerrillas, and especially the pro-Iranian Shiites of «Hezbollah», as well as the Palestinians of Ahmed Jibril’s «Popular Front», have not only rejected Israel’s ultimatums, but have intensified the firing of «Katyusha» rockets at Israeli towns. In the Jewish state, there is fear that what began as a military operation could turn into a full-scale campaign, as happened in Lebanon in 1982, which lasted for three years in a row. Over the past six weeks, after a period of relative calm, «Hezbollah» have begun shelling northern Israel. This occurred at the same time as the resumption of peace talks in Washington, which the guerrillas openly want to boycott. Reports reaching Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin — already under pressure for days from the right to give a more forceful military response, and under pressure from the left to keep the situation under control and avoid military intervention — are now joined by reports from Syria, which has threatened to regard a military intervention in Lebanon as an attack against itself.

Professor Zhulali Arrived in Pisa on Sunday ROME — A historic visit for relations between Italy and Albania. For the first time in more than half a century, Albania’s Minister of Defence, Prof. Safet Zhulali, arrived in Pisa yesterday. To welcome the Minister of Defence, who travelled on an Italian fighter aircraft and arrived at around 5:30 p.m., was the Secretary of Defence, Antonio Patuelli, accompanied by other military officials. Prof. Zhulali will remain in Italy for several days, during which he will meet senior officials of military institutions and government representatives, including his Italian counterpart, Minister of Defence Fabio Fabbri. Zhulali’s visit confirms the good state of relations between Albania and Italy, also reflected in the presence of the «Pellicano» mission in Tirana. The Italian Army contingent in Albania, which has been carrying out humanitarian activities since September 1991, now consists of 331 soldiers, most of them doing their compulsory military service. Minister of Defence, Safet Zhulali

JORGONI’S VISIT TO ITALY — The President of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Prof. Arben Jorgoni, is in Italy at the invitation of the Council of Europe’s sports department, which has commissioned Com (the Italian Olympic Committee) to act within the framework of an assistance programme for eastern countries. The Albanian delegation, which also includes Rauf Dimraj (head of the Dinamo club), has met the president of Coni, Pescunte. Italian assistance is currently taking concrete form in laying the foundations for Albanian sports legislation, which is not up to date or comprehensive, and in enriching the sports, scientific, and sports-medicine library. FOOTBALL — UEFA HELPS ALBANIA — Uefa has announced the creation of a department to provide educational and material assistance to the new football federations established in the former Soviet Union, as well as to Albania’s federation. Uefa has allocated two million Swiss francs (around two billion lire) for the first projects of the “Eastern Europe Aid Office” (the name of the new department). The department will be based in Nyvon, 25 kilometres from Geneva. ITALIAN SPONSORS’ INVOLVEMENT IN ALBANIAN SPORT EXPANDS — Particularly in football, following the establishment of Partizani as a joint Italian-Albanian company (with the firm Abaco), the well-known company Ariston, part of the Merloni group, has begun sponsoring the Tirana club; details have not yet been made public, but the financing is said to be one thousand dollars per month. Dinamo is also close to finalising an agreement with a firm from Bergamo. Teuta and Lushnja are also finding concrete support: the Durrës team will receive assistance from Adria Airlines, the Slovenian airline.

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NATIONAL PLAN TO PROTECT WATERS FROM POLLU- 14.2 million lekë provided by the Government and intensive work to repair the ...

News from Albania — “Our aim in drawing up this plan is to establish a national rapid-response structure, while also ensuring the necessary assistance.” TUÇI MINE IN PUKE TO REOPEN AFTER FLOODING — Last November, when the Tuçi Mine in Pukë was flooded by unusual rainfall, 150 workers were put on standby. The 14.2 million lek provided by the Government and the intensive work to repair this important northern mine mean that it will reopen in the days following the flooding. The Metalufera Construction and Mining Enterprise of Tirana, which has also been working for three months on the reconstruction of this mine, says that work will resume soon. PALACE OF CULTURE IN FUSHË-KRUJË IN COURT WITH THE COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE — The Palace of Culture, which for two years has been used as a venue for various sales, has taken the Commercial Enterprise of the same town to court. A decision is expected on who will be the future owner of the Palace of Culture, which lately — after being occupied by goods — has operated only as a billiards hall.