Editor in Chief of Albanian Free Pres
The rally of the democrats held during the weekend was followed by problems for tens of participants, including the opposition leader, Lulzim Basha. They ended up in the hospitals of Tirana, Durres, Elbasan, etc, with similar symptoms. The Ministry of Health confirmed that it dealt with “patients who manifested signs of intoxication such as redness in the eyes, burning in the eyes, skin irritation on the face and neck and in particular cases, difficulties in breathing”.
Albanian Free Press learned from the Ophthalmic Ward of the University Hospital of Tirana that a part of patients have suffered temporary loss of sight and redness in 50% of the face of neck.
All of these caused an alarming situation, especially at the emergency room of the University Hospital of Tirana, where there were at least 140 people, including the democrat leader.
Around ten people were rushed to the hospital of Durres and Elbasan, while an undetermined number is believed to have received medical treatment in health centers, private clinics and pharmacies. The newsroom conducted an observation in several pharmacies in Tirana and saw that there was a growing number of demands for TobraDex medication, an anti-biotic which treats eye problems such as burning, redness, etc. Under these circumstances, there are suspicions that the number of people affected by the “mysterious agent” is greater.
The Ministry of Health says that a part of the patients are being kept at the Ophthalmic Ward at the University Hospital of Tirana, because “the fact that the agent causing it is unknown, has made it obligatory to monitor them closely for fear of further complications”.
And the fact that the agent is not known, is the biggest concern. Some of the different theories that were launched could even be considered as urban legends, however, they were cause for concern among people. There are suspicions that particular people have sprayed the poisoning substance, which could be anthrax, among the participants in the rally. Others say that the poisoning substance may have been launched by drones. Some go as far as speaking of a terrorist attack with chemical substances, expressing the conviction that ISIS may be behind this. Someone else reinforces the idea that the poisoning came from the balloons. In the best scenario, due to the fact that they are filled with helium and in the worst scenario, they may have been injected with chemical substance. Then there are extreme suggestions by people supporting the DP and SP, who point their fingers on both sides. These declarations were also articulated by leaders and obliged parties to come out with official statements, such as it was the case with the SP, which demanded Basha not to come out with a conspiracy theory, but wait until the end of the investigation.
All the theories launched in the past 24 hours can hardly stick. Perhaps, the most plausible one may be the one suggested by the specialist of the Institute of Public Health who told Albanian Free Press that the cause may relate to an UV light which was close to the podium where Basha spoke and where a number of his supporters were concentrated.
However, this unprecedented event must be urgently clarified. In order for people not to be scared that if they participate in a rally, the opposition’s and the majority’s or in a non political event, they may end up in hospital with the symptoms of the 149 democrat supporters or in the worst scenario, to the graveyard.
Therefore, it is imperative that authorities come out with an official stance as soon as possible, in order to clarify why tens of participants in the opposition’s rally ended up with symptoms of intoxication at hospital.
