{"id":31802,"date":"2022-02-18T18:40:24","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T17:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/?p=31802"},"modified":"2022-02-18T18:46:51","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T17:46:51","slug":"medics-recall-massive-poisoning-of-8000-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/medics-recall-massive-poisoning-of-8000-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Medics recount massive poisoning of 8,000 people"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around 8,000 people became suddenly ill back in March 1990 in Kosovo, with symptoms usually associated with those of poisoning.<\/p>\n

The chemicals that were used brought severe body responses, including muscle contraction, vomiting, and fainting among the most commonly reported symptoms.<\/p>\n

Yugoslavian authorities not only ruled out any implication but also claimed the whole ordeal was a fabrication.<\/p>\n

School teachers and medical workers recall what happened 31 years ago.<\/p>\n

\"Xhafer
Xhafer Murtezaj was a gym teacher at a high school in Skenderaj<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Xhafer Murtezaj was a gym teacher at a high school in Skenderaj. He vividly remembers students screaming out of pain in every classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as you\u2019d hear a scream in one of the classes, you\u2019d hear another follow in other classes too. There was a general sense of panic among students. Then it became a matter of public concern. Parents were rushing to the school, while hospitals lacked transportation means. All in all, the whole town had two or three vehicles at the time\u201d, said Murtezaj.<\/p>\n

Another challenge became testing the blood samples as the hospitals were controlled by Serbs, who allegedly hampered the investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took blood samples from some patients, but I couldn\u2019t test them at the biochemistry lab of the Institute because the director was a Serb”.<\/p>\n

He goes on to explain that he sent the samples to a lab in Obiliq to have them tested by night.<\/p>\n

“Lab results pointed to calcium deficiency, which was causing the muscle contractions\u201d, added Rizvanolli.<\/p>\n

\"Mazllum
Mazllum Belegu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was like war\u201d, said the former chief of the blood transfusion ward, Mazllum Belegu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no greater pain than seeing those symptoms manifested in children. Seeing children shaking uncontrollably, unable to stand on their feet or even communicate\u201d, Belegu said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember someone asking \u2018is this war\u2019, and I told him that no, this is more than war. I don\u2019t know who could possibly do something like that\u201d.<\/p>\n

8,000 students and adults were poisoned in 1990, becoming a prelude to what would soon follow with massive demonstrations and all-out war for independence from Serbia.<\/p>\n