The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol in locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions linked to mass deaths in Ondo state.
The agency also said 15 persons have been arrested in
connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the
implicated beverages.
The incident was first reported on Saturday, September 5, in
Odigbo town and Araromi-Obu in Odigbo LGA of Ondo state after residents
reportedly consumed a herbal liquid substance.
Some of those affected allegedly became unconscious before
dying at different locations.
On September 13, the Ondo government banned the sale and
distribution of unverified alcoholic drinks and other substances following the
deaths of 30 people in the state.
Subsequently, the Ondo police command arrested one
Oloruntoba Babatunde for allegedly producing the harmful alcoholic substances.
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Banji Ajaka, Ondo
commissioner of health, said the death toll from suspected alcohol poisoning
had risen to 49, with 170 recorded cases.
In a statement on Friday, Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general
of NAFDAC, said 182 cases had been recorded as of Thursday, with 48 deaths
confirmed.
She said 90 of the affected persons had been admitted and
subsequently discharged, while 31 were treated as outpatients and six remained
hospitalised.
Adeyeye said “five persons had been rendered totally blind
and two partially blind”.
“Clinical symptoms reported include headache, generalised
body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty in breathing, and
altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly,” she said.
The NAFDAC DG noted that the incident had also extended
beyond Odigbo LGA to Irele LGA, adding that the figures remained subject to
ongoing verification.
‘11 OF 15 SAMPLES TESTED POSITIVE FOR C*NNABIS INDICA’
According to her, the affected communities so far include
New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga with the
highest impact recorded in Odigbo and Araromi-Obu.
She said 15 unlabelled samples of the suspected concoction
were subjected to acute oral toxicity testing, chemical analysis via gas
chromatography and microbiological examination.
“Preliminary findings are gravely concerning: 11 of the 15
samples tested positive for c*nnabis indica, and gas chromatography confirmed
the presence of high concentrations of methanol, a highly toxic substance that
causes blindness, organ failure, and death,” Adeyeye said.
She added that acute oral toxicity tests recorded
approximately 50 percent mortality in laboratory mice across six of the samples
analysed, indicating significant toxic potential.
According to her, confirmatory analyses to quantify the
methanol concentration and identify additional toxic agents are ongoing.
“Surveillance, case management, and risk-control measures
are actively ongoing across the affected communities, in coordination with
relevant public health authorities,” she said.
NAFDAC warned the public against the purchase or consumption
of unlicensed, unregistered and locally prepared alcoholic or herbal
concoctions of unknown composition.
The agency urged anyone experiencing symptoms such as sudden
visual disturbances, severe headache, difficulty in breathing or altered
consciousness after consuming such substances to seek immediate medical
attention.
The agency commiserated with families of those who died and
assured the public that necessary regulatory action was being taken.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com