Alexandre Padilha said one death was confirmed and seven others are under investigation; Crisis so far covers Sao Paulo, Pernambuco and Federal District
The Ministry of Health reported on Thursday (2) that the country has 59 suspected cases of methanol poisoning. Of this total, 12 have already been confirmed in the laboratory – all in São Paulo. There are also five cases in investigation in Pernambuco and one in the Federal District, which is still under analysis. So far, a death has been confirmed in the state capital. Another seven are under investigation: two in Pernambuco, three in São Paulo and two in São Bernardo do Campo.
Methanol is a type of unsuitable alcohol for human consumption. Initial symptoms are similar to those of common alcohol intake, such as nausea and abdominal pain, but can evolve rapidly to cloudy vision, seizures, coma and even death.
During a press conference, Health Minister Alexandre Padilha announced the creation of a situation room to monitor the cases and said the government already has pharmaceutical ethanol stocks, effective antidote against methanol in university hospitals. According to him, an emergency purchase of 5,000 treatments is underway, in addition to the mobilization of 604 handling pharmacies that can produce the medicine.
The ministry also notified Anvisa to call regulatory agencies from ten countries and private companies in India and the United States to ensure the importation of Formisol, an alternative antidote to pharmaceutical ethanol. For one of these institutions, Brazil requested an immediate donation of a thousand treatments. Padilha stressed that there is no expectation of explosion of cases, but that the measures are preventive. “We do this as a precaution, because we are responsible for an abnormal situation,” said the minister.
In the Federal District, rapper Hungary Hip Hop, stage name of Gustavo da Hungria Neves, was hospitalized on Thursday (2) with symptoms compatible with toxic substance intoxication. According to medical report, he presented headache, nausea, vomiting, visual turbidity and metabolic acidosis. The case is still under investigation and has not been confirmed if it is methanol.
Posted by Felipe Dantas
*Report produced with the aid of AI
