File photo : Alcohol beverages
By Deborah Nnamdi
The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advisory to include Nigeria and seven other countries on its list of destinations where travellers risk methanol poisoning from counterfeit or tainted alcoholic drinks.
The other affected countries are Ecuador, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Uganda, and Kenya. The advisory follows reported incidents involving British nationals in these locations.
Previously, the warning covered countries such as Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica, and Fiji, after a series of high-profile cases — including the deaths of six tourists in Laos last year.
In the new advisory, the UK government cautioned travellers to be alert for symptoms of methanol poisoning, which can include blurred vision, nausea, dizziness, confusion, and in severe cases, death.
Methanol, an industrial chemical commonly used in antifreeze and windscreen washer fluid, is highly toxic and not meant for human consumption. The FCDO noted that some unlicensed brewers and street vendors have been known to mix methanol with alcoholic beverages to cut costs or increase potency.
Travellers were urged to only purchase sealed drinks from licensed establishments and to avoid homemade or pre-mixed alcoholic beverages, particularly those served in buckets or jugs.
The Foreign Office stressed the importance of exercising caution, especially in regions where unregulated alcohol production and sale are common.
