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New Nipah virus from India/MH: Currently no confirmed cases in Albania

2026-01-30 20:14:00, Sociale CNA

The month of January marked a significant increase in the flow of patients in the Infectious Diseases Service, mainly with flu-like symptoms.

Infectious disease physician Migena Qato, through some advice shared by the Ministry of Health in a post on social media, suggests increased personal care and vaccination as essential measures to prevent complications.

Regarding the new virus circulating in India, Qato indicates that there are currently no confirmed cases in our country, emphasizing that the Infectious Diseases Service is fully prepared to deal with any possible situation.

"Viruses and influenza are now the mainstay of infectious diagnoses currently accepted in the infectious disease service. In each of our 24-hour services, the fewest cases presented on our best days are somewhere around 100 cases. The cases present with different symptoms, the age groups are also different, we are talking about over 14 years old to the elderly, which are certainly the ages that constitute a special concern for us in terms of concomitant diseases and complications in these ages, which can often prove to be fatal for their lives.

Even the symptoms with which it presents are different, starting from the mildest symptoms, which present with fever, with mild muscle pain, symptoms that we can say that do not invalidate the patient and force him to stay in bed and that are absolutely subjects that can be treated with symptomatic treatment at home. Then come those symptoms that are more worrying, those that I mentioned a little above but that are very intense and that are also associated with complications such as bronchopneumonia, which are our main concern at this moment. These are patients who absolutely require special care, they are patients who often require hospitalization, regardless of their age groups, from young age groups to the third age groups and who want, as I said, special care in an attempt to prevent their further complications.

There are subjects who present themselves more than once to the emergency room, initially trying to receive outpatient treatment and then returning because they see that the result we wanted was not achieved. Some 30-40% of them are cases that attract attention for hospitalization from the first moment. Hospitalizations prevail in the elderly, as well as in the age group over 50 years old, are ages that force us to look at their situation a little more closely due to the complications that may be possible. They are likely there also due to concomitant pathologies that really aggravate their clinical condition.

First aid is given during the hospital stay, we look at the phase where they are far from complications and then we dehospitalize them to continue therapy in outpatient settings. In general, we are saying that somewhere around 30-40% of cases that present themselves in the emergency room are absolutely candidates for hospitalization. The number of people who attempt home treatment on their own initiative without presenting themselves to their family doctor or to us is gradually decreasing and this is something to be applauded. It remains a virus that does not change clinically in terms of the flu, so we should be calm. Perhaps the aggressiveness in certain age groups stands out in a special way. I would never say that it is not the place to panic without trying this out at least in the region. We have not yet detected the cases of the flu in question. If it comes, we will be ready.

"The first question we ask every time we see a patient is whether they have been vaccinated, and what stands out is that vaccinated patients either do not show up at all at our emergency rooms, get over the flu on their own in outpatient settings, or show up with mild symptoms. And this is a fact. Absolutely, vaccination is an indication of ours that will never stop," the doctor said. /CNA