At first he was only seropositive Minister Shehu confirms. The patient was a blood donor and assured doctors: “I have never been outside Albania and have never been with foreign women” HEALTH Minister Shehu confirms. The patient was a blood donor and assured doctors: “I have never been outside Albania and have never been with foreign women” The first AIDS patient At first he was only seropositive CARLO BOLLINO TIRANA — He had been one of the seropositive people in Albania. Today he risks becoming the first person with AIDS. The man, a blood donor, may have been affected by the virus. He was treated for several weeks at Hospital No. 4, in the Infectious Diseases Department in Tirana: at first it was suspected that he had viral hepatitis, then doctors voiced the suspicion that this was a case of AIDS. Doctors are maintaining absolute silence about the matter. The responsibility for giving us some explanations was taken on by the Minister of Health himself, Tritan Shehu: “Yes, it is true,” he confirmed to Gazeta Shqiptare, “there is a strong suspicion that this is the first case of AIDS. Although it is known that AIDS has no specific symptoms, it is a disease that manifests itself — multiplying — through the symptoms of another disease. In this case, the patient had severe abdominal pain and his clinical condition kept deteriorating.” So you classify it as the first AIDS case in Albania? “Yes, because this is the opinion of our doctors, although we are still continuing the tests. We are also informing the World Health Organization about this case.” Is the patient’s life in danger? “At the moment his condition appears unchanged. Everything depends on how the disease develops. Today we cannot make predictions…” The man (whose identity is being withheld for understandable reasons) was a blood donor: during a routine medical examination, experts at the Analysis Laboratory in Tirana discovered that he was seropositive. As the explanation alongside this article makes clear, a seropositive person is not ill, but may become ill; it simply means that they have been in contact with AIDS. For how long? The patient assured the doctors who questioned him that he had never been abroad and had never had sexual relations with foreign women. The same answers were given by another blood donor, who had also tested seropositive: his was the first case discovered in Albania. “Unfortunately, it may not be the last,” Deputy Minister of Health Besim Nuri had said, who is dealing with this problem very attentively. Unlike this patient, the other seropositive person feels well: he is regularly monitored by doctors, but leads a normal life. Specialists explain Here is the difference between a patient and a seropositive person TIRANA — What is the difference between a seropositive person and someone with AIDS? There are many differences; here are the main ones in brief: THE DISEASE — A seropositive person is not an AIDS patient. They are simply someone who has been in contact with the virus, which has not manifested its effects. Put simply, in the first case the virus is asleep, while in the second it is awake. SYMPTOMS — A seropositive person shows no symptoms, and only blood tests can establish that they have been in contact with the virus. A patient, on the other hand, may show many symptoms. An AIDS patient’s immune capacity is weak, and as a result any illness degenerates and becomes severe. A seropositive person is not at risk of death as long as they are not ill. INFECTIONS — A seropositive person is less likely to infect their partner than a patient. Nevertheless, precautions must be taken in every case (but this should apply to everyone): when dealing with an AIDS patient, precautions must be increased, because the risk of infection also rises. RECOVERY — A person can remain seropositive for many years without developing AIDS. Numerous cases have been recorded in which seropositivity has suddenly disappeared. For a patient, however, recovery is more difficult, although it can often take a very long time. Cases of complete recovery have also been recorded among AIDS patients. Today, medical science around the world is making advances in research, and medicines capable of slowing the effects of the disease have been discovered so far. “The patient’s psychological state is crucial,” experts say: “a depressed person is at greater risk than an optimistic person who has a strong will to recover.” Pessimism is worse than the virus.

“Radiant heaters that burn gas are harmful to use” Several months ago the authorities banned them Heating with gas: a danger once again? “Radiant heaters that burn gas are harmful to use” ARMAND MERO TIRANA — The issue of gas heaters is back in the spotlight. Concerns and doubts about their use in homes still remain. The discussions and disputes that erupted several months ago have not changed the situation at all. Cold winter days and insufficient electricity have once again brought gas stoves to the forefront. These heaters—which arrived in Albania about 7 months ago—were part of the Italian Government’s emergency aid for heating. The delivery, worth 5.2 billion lire, had been entrusted to the company “Comerint”, which brought about 11 thousand radiant heaters, 22 thousand gas cylinders, 4 tankers and 4 cylinder-filling pumps to Albania. Some of them were distributed immediately. Meanwhile, tests showed that burning the gas released an amount of carbon dioxide — CO2 — that was highly harmful to people’s health. The small volume of Albanian homes was also a factor, meaning they need to be aired from time to time. Indoor pollution exceeded the normal limit by 6 to 8 times. For this reason, the Health Ministry immediately halted their distribution. “The carbon dioxide emitted by these stoves,” the relevant analysis report stated, “has a capacity to bind 300 times greater than that of oxygen, causing a shortage of oxygen in the blood. This gas has a direct toxic effect.” The story dragged on. “We have repeatedly asked the Italian side to solve this problem, but they have been dragging it out for 6 months,” Hysni Laçi, Director of the Heating Agency at the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning, told Gazeta Shqiptare. “At our last meeting with Narbone, an Italian engineer, we were advised to change the volume of the houses.” Now that winter has begun, nothing has changed from last winter’s situation: it is the same gas and the same radiant heaters. And the debate has started again. At the Heating Agency of the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning, they believe these heaters should not be used. Or rather, the radiant heater—the device that burns the gas—is unsuitable. This concern does not seem to be shared by the Heating Fuels Enterprise in Tirana: “So far there have been no cases of poisoning from gas heaters,” they counter. Meanwhile, the Albanian Bank of Tirana has also halted the sale of cylinders, because the filling plant has not yet been put into operation. Another quantity of gas is expected to arrive. “Of the 4 tankers that arrived initially,” Laçi explains, “only 3 can now be used. One has been emptied because it was punctured.”

MEETING OF THE “TASK FORCE ALBANIA” MISSION IN TIRANA ON THE PROGRESS OF LEGISLATIVE REFORM IN ALBANIA — Representatives of the “Task Force Albania” mission met in Tirana to discuss the European Community and Council of Europe programme on Legislative Reform in Albania. Representatives of the Albanian justice authorities also attended the meeting of this Mission, which has been active in our country for some time. The programme’s main points include: training judges and the Police, reforming the prison system, and drafting the Codes of Criminal and Civil Procedure. GERMAN PROJECTS TO HELP ALBANIAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE — Germany may also help Albania in the fields of education and culture. This cooperation, discussed at meetings between Zhexit Telit, the Minister of Education, and German officials, will consist of books and equipment for secondary schools and universities. ÇOROVODA TO BE TWINNED WITH AN ITALIAN CITY — The city of Ancona in Italy is to be twinned with the municipality of Çorovoda, in the context of this partnership between Ancona and Tullisë. Specifically, as part of aid arriving in the Skrapar district, a quantity of aid for the hospital and equipment for the electrical systems in schools arrived. THE POPULATION OF KSAMIL HAS DOUBLED IN TWO YEARS — More than 450 families have been added in Ksamil in just the past two years. This means that the village’s population has doubled. This demographic increase has created many social problems. The demand for house construction has become particularly acute. At present, it is four times higher than it was three years ago.

TIRANA — (Uv. Za.) — An incident at Lushnja’s “Roza Haxhiu” stadium, the details of which remain unclear, has resulted in a report being filed with the Prosecutor’s Office. Mustafa Fagu, manager of the Partizani football team, filed a complaint on Tuesday against the Head of the Public Order Department of Lushnja. “I was punched by him for no reason,” Fagu told Gazeta Shqiptare, “while the Lushnja-Partizani match was still going on and nobody had asked the law-enforcement officers for help.” According to Fagu, his player Hasani had also been struck earlier, while FSHF delegates and the match observer were also present during the incident.

Parliamentary group chairman Spahia explains why TIRANA — (Ed. La.) — The PD parliamentary group in the Albanian Parliament will now have only 84 MPs. Petrit Kalakula and Abdi Baleta—the first to do so with a joint statement—announced that they were leaving the PD group and would henceforth sit as independent MPs. Several months ago, 6 other MPs had done the same; they have since been declared members of the AD party. “This is simply a disagreement they have with the PD programme,” Ali Spahia, chairman of the PD parliamentary group, said immediately after their departure. Among the most serious accusations Kalakula made to justify his departure were: unclear positions and equivocation in the fight against communism; the government’s complete failure to control the business activities of red profiteers; the irresponsible stance being taken toward bringing red criminals to justice; a covert and lenient fight against corruption, and in some cases even covering it up; an arbitrary and anti-communist stance on returning property to its lawful owners; the establishment of unfair and arbitrary criteria for privatization; the failure of the rule of law; granting land ownership to foreign nationals and allowing a foreigner to head the Council of prelative. Meanwhile, Abdi Baleta told Gazeta Shqiptare: “Even up to now, I have acted as an independent MP.” Although Ali Spahia said the departure of these two MPs had not been unexpected, he accused them of being careerists and of not supporting the PD programme. On the same day, the newspaper “RD” wrote that the PD would have expelled Kalakula from its ranks even if he had not resigned first. In addition, following the departure of the two MPs, the balance between the parliamentary groups has changed. Of the 140 seats in the Albanian Parliament, only 84 now belong to the PD; 8 are held by independents, 7 seats belong to the Social Democratic group, 1 to the Republican group, 2 to PBDNJ, and the rest belong to the PS parliamentary group. But even after this change, the PD, PS, PR and PBDNJ can together secure two thirds — 94 — without the votes of the independent or socialist MPs. However, in this situation not even one absence is permitted.

For 7 hours straight, the capital went back 2 years Eight hundred extras relived the fall of Hoxha CINEMA For 7 hours straight, the capital went back 2 years Placido takes over central Tirana Eight hundred extras relived the fall of Hoxha TIRANA — (Ar. Me.) — These are the first days after the fall of Enver Hoxha’s state television in Tirana. People of all kinds—men, women, young people—fill “Skënderbej” Square. A little farther away, a battered “Shkodra” bus intersects with a cart pulled by two horses. And in this gloomy scene, as if daylight had broken over the capital, a “Furistrada” and an Italian van, some square paving stones, followed by a crowd of extras who clamber about shouting and gesturing… There are so many people, no, not again. But one story belongs to… But the Italian stories Claudia Amelio. On Tuesday, from 8.00 in the morning until 15.00, police barriers closed all the roads leading to “Skënderbej” Square. “The police were truly wonderful,” del Vecchio, director of the film “Amerika”, told Gazeta Shqiptare. Only the cars and the equipment for the film, which has been shooting in Albania for some time, were in the square. Meanwhile, 800 people playing Albanians were to recreate once again the appearance of the capital as it was two years earlier, with the dictator’s monument in view. Many thought Hoxha would be toppled, perhaps we too thought they would bring him down. However, they were content with reproducing a few scenes. The fall of Hoxha’s statue in Tirana, in the square, in 1991

The Mafia is trying to steal the atomic bomb Experts sound the alarm at a meeting ON PAGE 2 Why such slow progress? Foreign investors are needed 262 million dollars came in over three years ON PAGE 3