Eight New Countries Added To Methanol Poisoning Warning List
The UK Foreign Office has added eight nations to its list of nations that are at danger of methanol poisoning due to contaminated or fake alcoholic beverages.
The revised travel advice now includes Ecuador, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Russia, and Uganda in light of occurrences involving Britons in those nations.
In the wake of many high-profile instances, including the killing of six tourists in Laos last year, the caution was previously issued for Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica, and Fiji.
Because methanol poisoning can cause severe illness and even death, travelers are warned to be on the lookout for symptoms including confusion and blurred vision.
Windscreen washer fluid and antifreeze include the industrial ingredient methanol. It is extremely poisonous and not intended for human consumption.
However, there have been cases of dishonest home brewers adding methanol to drinks to extend their shelf life, and some restaurants and street vendors combining it with cocktails and spirit-based drinks to save money.
Information on identifying signs and lowering the risk of methanol poisoning has been added to the Foreign Office’s travel advice sites, along with a new advertising campaign.
It is recommended that British nationals traveling overseas buy sealed beverages from authorised facilities, stay away from homemade alcohol, pre-mixed spirits, cocktails, and drinks supplied in jugs or buckets.
It is recommended that travelers be alert for symptoms of poisoning, such as nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, and disorientation. Early-stage methanol poisoning can mimic alcohol poisoning, according to experts, but unique symptoms, like visual problems, can appear 12 to 48 hours after ingestion.
When someone exhibits symptoms of methanol poisoning, they should get medical help right once.
Details of individual instances in any of the newly added nations to the alert list were not made public by the Foreign Office.
But Morgan, a Briton who contacted BBC Newsbeat about a recent visit to Japan, said her experience in bars there suggested tourists were unaware of the potential risks.
“The offering would be ‘come and take a free shot with me – we’ve got tequila, we’ve got vodka’,” she said.
“Obviously, you are taking their word for it. It’s quite dangerous in that sense. There were loads of other tourists just taking the shots, just drinking, not seeing where the bottle was from.”
Members of parliament and the tourism industry met with campaigners and the relatives of those British citizens who died or were injured due to methanol poisoning overseas last month.
Calum Macdonald was one of them; he had been traveling in Laos when he became blind from methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng.
“I think it’s important that people know, obviously, because it’s quite a simple bit of information you can get that can really save you a lot of pain,” the 23-year-old Sunbury-on-Thames resident stated.
“I certainly think if I’d been aware of the risks I wouldn’t be here today without my vision.”
The Foreign Office minister in charge of consular and crisis affairs, Hamish Falconer, stated: “Methanol intoxication can be fatal.
Early symptoms are similar to those of common alcohol poisoning, and it can be challenging to identify when drinking. It may be too late by the time travelers realize the risk.
“No family should have to go through what the campaigners’ families have gone through,” he continued. These crucial revisions to our travel advise have been made possible in large part by their unwavering commitment to preventing others from experiencing the same tragedy.