Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said on Tuesday (30) he has ordered the immediate notification of new suspected cases of methanol poisoning.
Since the beginning of September, ten cases have been confirmed, including three deaths – all in the state of São Paulo. Poisoning was reported after the consumption of beverages contaminated with the product, which is highly toxic to humans.
“This immediate notification is a direct channel to what we call CIEVS [National Center for Strategic Information on Health Surveillance] in each of the states. The ministry monitors this work daily,” he stated.
“[We are doing this] so we can more quickly understand what is happening in São Paulo state – and also to identify in other states across the country any type of growth and abnormal clinical and epidemiological phenomenon, in addition to the investigations conducted by the Federal Police and the Ministry of Justice,” he declared.
At a press conference alongside Minister of Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, Padilha noted that notification must be made for any case of suspected methanol poisoning. “There is no need to wait for the diagnosis to be confirmed before making the notification,” he added.
“[This applies to] anyone who seeks medical attention reporting signs and symptoms with a history of alcohol consumption, especially alcohol of unknown origin. It is not something they bought and opened at home, where they saw the seal. It is usually in a commercial setting outside the home, a party at someone else’s place, or in a leisure environment. That’s already a suspicious case and should be reported,” he remarked.
The minister of justice said he asked the Federal Police to open an investigation into the origin of the drink and a possible methanol distribution network linked to organized crime.
“At the moment, the incidents are concentrated in the state of São Paulo, but everything indicates distribution goes beyond the state of São Paulo, so […] it falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Police,” the minister said at the press conference.
Figures
According to the minister of health, just one month saw half of the cases of methanol poisoning recorded each year in the public health care network.
“When we look at the month of August, we have 17 reported cases of suspected methanol poisoning. In some cases, the investigation is being completed. If we take August and September, we have more or less what would happen in the year as a whole – 20 reported cases. And they’re concentrated in just one state.”
“We’re facing an abnormal situation, unlike anything we have seen in our time series,” he kept on to say.
