Following the completion of laboratory analyses, the Institute of Public Health confirmed that the 139 citizens who sought care at the Fushë-Arrëz Health Center between August 24 and September 3, 2026, had been poisoned by drinking water, a claim also made by the residents themselves.

The Institute of Public Health classified the incident as a waterborne outbreak caused by the improper implementation of hygiene and sanitation practices designed to ensure the quality and safety of drinking water.

A total of 128 cases, or 91.7%, were residents of Fushë-Arrëz, with most of the cases concentrated in the “Demokracia” and “Nushaj” neighborhoods.

All of the cases involved diarrhea, while 128 people reported vomiting and 81 had a fever. The ages of those affected ranged from 2 to 94.

The Institute of Public Health’s investigation focused on the water supply system, as the affected residents stated that they consumed water from the public network and were supplied by the same system.

Laboratory analyses confirmed microbiological contamination at several points in the water supply system, where coliforms and enterococci were found.

The Institute of Public Health’s report also stated that the disinfection of drinking water had not been carried out properly. Analysis of the sodium hypochlorite showed that the active chlorine level was 9.04%, while the limit specified in the report is 13–15%, meaning it did not meet the requirements for use in the chlorination and disinfection of drinking water.

Despite the laboratory analyses, the Shkodër Regional Water Supply and Sewerage Company, which is responsible for supplying water to Fushë-Arrëz, has issued no notice advising citizens not to consume the water coming from their taps.

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The Institute of Public Health has sent specialists to Korçë County and launched an epidemiological investigation after Albania’s first case of West Nile fever was confirmed.

The case involves a 72-year-old man from Korçë, who is currently receiving treatment at Korçë Regional Hospital under the care of doctors.

The elderly man, who lives in the city of Korçë, is suspected of having been bitten by a mosquito while he was staying in a garden where he spent a considerable part of the day.

After developing health problems, he went to the hospital, where laboratory tests confirmed that he had been infected with West Nile virus.

The team that arrived from Tirana is conducting field entomological investigations and screening in the affected area. The aim is to determine whether mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus are present in the area and to establish the necessary measures for their control.

Public Health Institute specialists have extended their inspections to several areas of Korçë County, where they are checking for the possible presence of mosquitoes that transmit the disease. Depending on the findings, the interventions needed to control them will also be determined.

As part of the investigation and preventive measures, specialized teams are also carrying out screening in the affected area.

Interventions to treat and disinfect areas considered likely to harbor mosquitoes are expected to be carried out.

West Nile virus is transmitted to humans mainly through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Most people who are infected may not develop symptoms, while in other cases the infection is accompanied by fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, and vomiting. When the disease occurs in severe form, the virus can damage the nervous system and cause serious complications.

Health authorities are continuing field monitoring. The findings of the Public Health Institute’s investigation are expected to indicate the extent of the spread of the carrier mosquito and the measures that will be implemented to prevent further cases.

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Marija Andonovska, director of the Institute of Public Health, stated several times during today’s press conference that the results of water quality tests from Gostivar’s urban supply network cannot be published without first obtaining permission from the Prosecutor’s Office.

Asked by “Lokalno” whether she could reveal the category in which the quality of the city’s tap water is classified, Andonovska said the information could not be disclosed because of the investigation. She stressed that the Institute of Public Health aims to complete the tests and publish the results in record time, adding that they will be shared with citizens as soon as approval is received from the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

According to her, tests were conducted at four different locations in Gostivar at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office. Last week, following an investigation, the prosecution announced that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that the water in the city’s supply network had been contaminated by the Municipality of Gostivar and the “Water Supply” public utility.

Preliminary data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs show that three pumps had been installed in the sewage channel and subsequently connected to the main system supplying drinking water to the entire city of Gostivar.

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