•Herbal concoctions
The death toll from the consumption of suspected locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in Ondo State has risen to 48, with five people reportedly rendered completely blind, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said.
The agency said 182 cases had so far been recorded in connection with the incident, which has affected communities in Odigbo Local Government Area and parts of Irele Local Government Area, reports The Nation.
NAFDAC, in an update issued by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, yesterday, said laboratory analysis of samples of the suspected concoctions detected high concentrations of methanol, a highly toxic substance capable of causing blindness, organ failure and death.
The agency said the preliminary findings strengthened concerns that the locally prepared alcoholic/herbal mixtures posed a serious public health risk, although further confirmatory tests were still being conducted.
The affected communities include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga, with the incident particularly pronounced in Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu.
According to the agency, the incident was first reported in early September after residents who had reportedly consumed the suspected concoctions began developing sudden and severe illnesses, with some cases deteriorating rapidly.
NAFDAC said initial reports put the number of deaths at 31, comprising 20 deaths in Odigbo Town and 11 in Araromi-Obu. However, continued surveillance and investigation have raised the reported number of cases and deaths.
Of the 182 affected persons, 90 were admitted to hospitals and later discharged, while six remain hospitalised.
Another 31 people were treated as outpatients, while five persons reportedly became totally blind and two others partially blind.
The clinical symptoms reported among those affected include headaches, general body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness.
NAFDAC also disclosed that 15 people had been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the implicated locally produced alcoholic and herbal beverages.
The agency said it collected samples of the suspected concoctions for laboratory, forensic and toxicological examination to determine their chemical composition and identify possible toxic substances, adulterants, contaminants or undeclared ingredients.
It said 15 unlabeled samples were subjected to toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening.
According to NAFDAC, an acute oral toxicity test conducted using laboratory mice showed that all the samples caused critical illness in the animals, while approximately 50 per cent mortality was recorded in six of the 15 samples tested.
The agency said some of the animals that became critically ill recovered after 24 hours but noted that further exposure could pose a fatal risk.
Chemical screening also detected Cannabis indica in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol.
Methanol is an industrial alcohol that can cause severe poisoning when ingested. It can damage the optic nerve, resulting in permanent blindness, and may also cause organ failure and death.
NAFDAC said the combination of the high mortality recorded during the animal toxicity testing and the confirmed presence of methanol suggested that the samples posed a serious public health risk.
However, it stressed that the findings remained preliminary pending further confirmatory analyses.
“Further confirmatory testing is ongoing to quantify methanol concentration and identify other possible toxic agents,” the agency said.
It added that methanol in oral preparations was extremely dangerous and could cause severe poisoning, including blindness, organ failure and death.
The agency said surveillance, case management, investigation and risk-control measures were ongoing as authorities work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and prevent further exposure.
NAFDAC said the figures remained subject to verification as investigations and surveillance continued.
The agency commiserated with families who lost loved ones in the incident and urged continued vigilance as investigations into the suspected contaminated concoctions progress.
