Several cardiac deaths in children within a short time, doctor: Why most in Korça?

Earlier on December 16, 2024, Klarenc Çallo, 16, from the village of Barç, passed away from a heart attack. He suffered a heart attack while at home with his family. The stroke proved fatal, despite the ambulance arriving very quickly.

The Ymer Dishnica High School where he taught describes him as an exemplary student. During December, it is suspected that another 15-year-old originally from Pogradec but living in Tirana died of a heart attack.

In early January 2025, public opinion was shocked by the death of 12-year-old Leo Sadiku. The minor, a resident of Maliq, died at the QSUT from a heart attack. However, the family members claim that the child was neglected by the medical staff. Investigations have been launched into the case.

The minor presented to the Korça hospital 10 days before his death, with flu symptoms. He was discharged from the hospital on December 31 after improving. The minor presented again a few days later to the Korça emergency room with high blood pressure.

The staff immediately sent him to Tirana for more specialized treatment, where he passed away on the evening of January 8.

These repeated cases in a narrow time frame, in a limited area, raise strong questions, despite the fact that experts consider them coincidences.

But they admit that Korça is marked on the map of cities with high pollution during the winter. In this regard, pollution is one of the causes of such health consequences.

"I think it's more of a coincidence that they're all in Korça, but it's known that Korça has higher air pollution in the winter, due to wood heating. I'm convinced that there will be other cases as well, but of course I'm setting a target for Korça," said the doctor, Ilir Alimemeti.

The heart is the primary organ in the body, but cardiologists say that like other organs, the heart can be affected by an infection, in the event of a high flu-like fever.

"A child who goes through a virus with complications, one of the things that is seen with care is the heart part, as the lungs or other organs are infected, the heart has the same probability in a complicated virus. This does not mean that parents should be alarmed every time they have a virus, as this does not mean that every child who has a fever should undergo a cardiological evaluation", said cardiologist, Anila Shahini./Top Channel