Meeting between PS Deputy Chairman Servet Pëllumbi and deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Yesterday morning, PSSH Deputy Chairman Servet Pëllumbi received at the PSSH KPD headquarters the State Duma deputies of the Russian Federation, Kazbek Ciku and Haçin Karmazov, who are in our country on the occasion of the meeting of the Commission on Economic, Trade, Technology and Environment Affairs of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Assembly. At this meeting, which took place in a friendly spirit, views were exchanged on the situation and political developments in both countries, on the progress of economic reform, particularly privatization, and on overcoming the difficulties inherent in the transition period. Views were also discussed and exchanged on developing relations between our two countries and peoples, between parliamentarians and counterpart political forces, which have valuable experience for the progress of democratic processes. Also attending the meeting were PSSH KPD member and deputy Anastas Angjeli and Mr. Ollga Kollpakova, Second Secretary of the Russian Federation Embassy in Tirana. PSSH Press Spokesperson

- Cholera is not the flu. Its microbe spreads many times faster than the flu virus, and often leads to death; the measures that must be taken need to be many times faster and stronger -

- Where the people of Tirana live, eat and spend their leisure time - Somehow seemingly unconcerned, the Albanian capital too is living with anxiety brought on by the horror of cholera in Kuçovë. Anxiety in the morning, anxiety at noon, anxiety in the evening. But also indifference in the morning, at noon and in the evening; indifference built around entertainment; resentment, confusion. Since the notion of time gives anxiety, boredom and confusion different forms. This applies to the different age groups among these people. All it takes is for the morning to bring them a newspaper with headlines about the event of the moment for an argument to start, for someone to curse and swear at the government, or to turn nostalgic for the past. Why do these people get heated? You only have to follow their hours in Tirana attentively to understand why, once you learn where they eat, where they have fun, and finally where they live. And if you start at the beginning, you have to say that the people of Tirana are very happy; they have fun along with the clergy. Tirana offers them «non stop» kiosks for entertainment. There are many. In an area that was once green, in front of the Bank, today you find 20 kiosks and 500 people all day long. People standing, queuing; brands; eating and drinking, enjoying themselves; [shuroxen]. Where? Where they eat; behind the kiosks; there, the pleasure is immense. The Minister of Health has said that cholera lives together with feces. Everyone knows this. Even those who have fun at the former Rinia Park. «Biutiful», «Kumanova»; «Tirana»; «Stili» and dozens of carts carry people and cholera «non stop» every day. As toilets for people, they offer that patch of green that has, perhaps, escaped the kiosks’ hunger. But the happiest people in Tirana are those who enjoy themselves at the roughly 50 kiosks along the Lana. The surroundings there are quite attractive. Filth without end. Filth all around; a canal with a tourist-worthy image, dividing Tirana, the European capital, down the middle with sewage; filth from people who [shubrojnë] beside the kiosks without toilets, where they have fun and rest. Not only here. The stench gives its «pleasant» aroma to the flower garden in front of Parliament; in front of the PD; in front of and behind the Pyramid; throughout Tirana, which is perhaps ranked first as the dirtiest city in Europe. People, do you like this? Do you like people saying of you: The people of Tirana make Tirana filthy? Tirana has markets everywhere because there are streets everywhere. There, cheese and butter are sold along with the dust that [fsheharet] remove from the roads to serve people «non stop» at every hour of the day. Fish and meat that stink are sold there; chicken legs and breasts; salami; tomatoes; potatoes, meat; [ilaç gorbash]. You leave there only to be told again that Albanians—the people of Tirana—eat alongside [plajsen], dysentery, diarrhea; cholera. Faced with this picture, I hope that it is clear that the Ministry of Health and Environmental Protection is not located where the Prime Minister’s Office is; nor the Ministry of Agriculture; Defence; Industry; In any case: Wash your hands, people of Tirana?! ERION BRAÇE stop- kiosks for entertainment. There are many of them. ... ERION BRAÇE

KORÇË Cholera has come here too Now the great evil, which the Minister of Health tries to play down as much as possible in his interviews, has knocked on Korçë’s door too. Six people have been admitted to this district’s infectious diseases hospital over the past two days; medical examinations show that they are carrying the cholera-diarrhea microbe. Four of them are members of the same family—a husband and wife and their two young children—from the village of Pirg. They had visited relatives in Kuçovë, where they contracted the cholera microbe. Another person likewise had been tr... in those infected areas. Our de... for isolating and quarantining the sources of infection, even by putting health police into operation, is entirely legitimate. M. MEKO

[Përmes] The first patient In the middle of the night on September 14, Përmet received its first volunteer patient for cholera. He came from Berat. Upon arriving in Përmet, the patient showed signs of diarrhea and was immediately admitted to hospital. Përmet Hospital, renowned for its cleanliness, hygiene standards and correctness, imposed a quarantine inside and outside the hospital. The person suspected of having cholera is undergoing medical tests to confirm the final diagnosis. To address this problem, all the doctors have been deployed through outpatient points; imposing quarantine on people or providing them with ... prophylactic [measures]; after medical screening, etc. Meanwhile, bringing free medication to the district would help with the population’s prophylaxis as well. In the district of Përmet, it is a shocking fact that drinking-water supplies are interrupted from time to time in both towns, Përmet and Këlcyrë. In Piskovë, beside the national road, villagers drink water from the tap of Pa... Pashkoit; those of Leskovec from Xhanajt; those of Suks-Përroi from Zhepovë, etc. Cholera is right on their doorstep. LLAZI PRILLO showed signs of diarrhea; where they were immediately admitted to hospital. Përmet Hospital, noted for its cleanliness; a culture of health-conscious responsibility imposed quarantine inside and outside it. A confirm the final diagnosis. Because of this problem, all the doctors attended an urgent meeting with the district health director. Following this incident, the people of Përmet are calling for the cholera hotspots to be stamped out wherever...

Municipality: “We are making every effort.” The doors of the Tirana Municipality are open for people to come in. But the mouths of its office workers are not open to provide the press with information about the measures the municipality is taking to prevent a possible epidemic outbreak in the capital. Specialists found in offices pull back from the journalist and direct them to their superiors. Bujar Harazari, head of the health and environment section at this municipality, after much hesitation finally begins to speak. His answer can be summed up in the expression: “We in the Municipality are making every effort.” Although a special task force has been set up at the municipality to assess the situation and take every measure to alleviate it, and reports on the work completed are made each morning. Here is what could be said a day earlier. This is a brief description of the situation in the capital, according to the conversation held with the health and environment section. Drinking water has become an obvious risk compared with water distributed in plastic containers, and the spread of contaminated water. The chlorine dosage in drinking water is in doubt, and analyses have been published in the newspaper for people to consider. They are regularly carried out at all designated points and ... (Continued on page 3)

Two views from the Tirana Hospital Center People! I love you! Don’t get sick! This is how the appeal of “Jero-Jav” was paraphrased. The headline appeared in several newspapers; at first, we were informed about the appearance of cholera in Albania. And this appeal was a warning about the extremely difficult conditions faced by patients in our hospitals. But what is the situation today, where people are trying to recover and return to life? With civic concern, to see everything after the news about the opening of SOKOL GRUDA (Continued on page 3)

— Yesterday, nearly one third of Tirana’s drinking water had not been chlorinated — The Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, which is now operating at full capacity, with two shifts, is closely monitoring the spread of disease. It is carrying out comprehensive checks almost throughout the Republic, and particularly in the capital. The institute’s staff conduct analyses of drinking water nearly three times a day. But what do the analyses show? Not all areas are drinking chlorinated water, at the dosage recommended for such cases over these past few days. Thus, the results for the water in New Tirana and throughout Tirana show a very low level of chlorination. This preparation is now available in all drinking-water reservoirs; indeed, measures have been taken to ensure that liquid chlorine is also brought in. Then why are the prescribed procedures not being followed? This is where the reasons must be sought for why 14 people suspected of having cholera have been admitted to the infectious-diseases hospital. Cholera is not the flu. Its microbe spreads 300 times faster than the flu virus. This means that the seriousness and speed of the response needed to stop it must also be 300 times greater; otherwise, tomorrow we should not be surprised if the cholera vibrio reaches Tirana too. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit”

A statement from the Ministry of Health, distributed yesterday at midday, reports that another focus of cholera has been discovered in the Librazhd district. This outbreak is unrelated to the one in Kucova, which made the situation even more serious and dangerous. So far, four people have been admitted; they have been isolated and placed under treatment. The Ministry of Health warned that there would be no quarantine, but only the sick would be isolated, while those who had been in contact with them would be placed under compulsory medical supervision.

“Gazeta shqiptare” reported in yesterday’s issue that cholera has also spread to the village of Drenovicë in the Fier district. “Gazeta shqiptare” reported in yesterday’s issue that cholera has also spread to the village of Drenovicë in the Fier district; [unclear] kilometers away from it. Within a few days, 33 of its residents were admitted to the Berat hospital, 16 of them on Tuesday. The newspaper reports that a doctor discovered a sick family: the mother, father, and child were in bed and did not know what to do.

A soldier showing suspicious symptoms of cholera arrived urgently yesterday late at night from the city of Shkodër in an ambulance belonging to the Public Order Department and was admitted to the quarantine area of Tirana Military Hospital. A soldier showing suspicious symptoms of cholera arrived urgently yesterday late at night from the city of Shkodër in an ambulance belonging to the Public Order Department and was admitted to the quarantine area of Tirana Military Hospital, an unofficial source close to the Military Hospital reports. The source said that the soldier, who is serving in Shkodër, is a resident of Kuçovë, where he had been on three days’ leave for a wedding. So far, there is no information regarding the soldier’s examination for the disease. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit”

- Results of the [unclear] for agricultural meetings with the ... Director of cooperation in ... in Albania ... Minister of State ... in Shkodër ... * * * - Concern among the citizens of Shkod- ... IN BRIEF... - ... in Shkodër ... * * * - Cholera alert in Albania... arrived and ... The Council declared ... * * * - The ... championship is now continuing into its second phase ... * * * - Regarding ... electricity ... IN BRIEF... - ... in Tirana of “...”, that of the city ... The energy enterprise ... Tirana ... * * * - Thieves ... in the Durrës Merchant Fleet ... * * * - 1. After a ... held IN BRIEF... - ... at the National Theatre ... collective ... in the process ... * * * - The number of permits ... for private ... construction is about 3,700. Of these ... there are 1,300. * * * - It is said that at the Combine ... IN BRIEF... - ... in Tirana ... 20 people ... * * * - Residents of 12 ... in Rubik ... of the city ... * * * - The film “...”, ...

«We are doing

- For many residents of Tirana, the advice applies: «Don’t leave your hands!» We were unable to obtain complete information about the danger posed by sewage to the capital. We were unable to do so because the director of the water utility has assigned the working group—the head of the technical department—while the latest requests «do not have even one minute to spare for information for the press.» Nevertheless, given the newspaper’s commitment to informing readers about the condition and level of danger posed by this problem, which has caused considerable public concern, we tried by our own means to identify the main points where sewage meets drinking water. They are spread throughout the capital but, according to specialists and the highest levels of risk, 7–8 points remain where residents have occasionally tasted the mixture that makes you vomit. On «Budi» Street—Building 70—and on «Gavril Dara» Street, sewage has taken over the drinking water, but thanks to the efforts of water utility workers this problem, which opens the way to infection, is in the process of being resolved. The same situation exists on «Nazmi Frakulla» Street and «Deshmoret» Street, except that the sewage pipes are above those carrying drinking water, contrary to the advice the Ministry has been giving in recent days: «don’t leave your hands!» The filth (and, of course, the infection) on «Niko Avtamin» and Shyqyri Peza streets remains alarming and extremely serious. At both these points, sewage continues to flow together with drinking water, even reaching the taps near people’s homes (!) What can residents do in this situation? People are alarmed because they cannot be sure what water they are consuming. At the Water Utility they say they will continue the fight to eliminate every danger, but they also say something else: «Who is dealing with the sewage?»—a question to which they are also seeking an answer. BASHKIM KOÇI

drinking water?