The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has expanded its travel warnings, adding Nigeria and seven other countries to its advisory list over alleged Methanol poisoning.
The agency, in its travel advisory notice, warned its citizens to avoid travel to Nigeria due to what it described as a rising risk of serious illness and death from alcoholic drinks tainted with methanol.
The FCDO said its decision followed an alleged increase in recorded cases of severe illness and fatalities linked to beverages contaminated with methanol, a highly toxic industrial alcohol.
This means Nigeria joins a revised list that now includes Ecuador, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Uganda, and Russia.
This move expands the FCDO’s focus beyond previously listed nations like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia, where incidents involving British nationals had already prompted warnings.
The eight countries added to the advisory list are Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Uganda, and Russia.
According to the FCDO, methanol is an industrial alcohol that can be found in antifreeze and paint thinners. In some countries overseas, it is illegally mixed with spirit-based drinks and cocktails to cut costs.
Even small amounts of methanol can cause blindness or death within 12-48 hours of consumption. The toxic substance is tasteless and odourless, making it impossible for travellers to detect.
The FCDO urged British nationals to purchase sealed drinks from licensed establishments, avoid homemade alcohol, and be particularly cautious of pre-mixed spirits, cocktails, and drinks served in buckets or jugs.
The FCDO also urged British travellers to avoid locally brewed or unlabelled spirits.
It also advised travellers to watch out for warning signs of methanol poisoning, which include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and confusion.
According to FCDO, characteristic symptoms of methanol poisoning, like vision problems, can appear 12 to 48 hours after ingestion, even though in the early stages it can mimic alcohol poisoning. Any person exhibiting any symptoms of methanol poisoning should contact a doctor right away.
Minister responsible for Consular and Crisis, Hamish Falconer, said: “Methanol poisoning can kill – it can be difficult to detect when drinking and early symptoms mirror ordinary alcohol poisoning. By the time travellers realise the danger, it can be too late.
“That’s why we’re working hard to raise awareness of the warning signs and urging anyone who suspects methanol poisoning to seek immediate medical attention. I encourage all travellers to check our travel advice and Travel Aware pages before they go on holiday.
“No family should endure what the campaigners’ families have suffered. Their determination to prevent others from facing the same tragedy has been instrumental in driving forward these vital updates to our travel advice.”
Meanwhile, a medical expert, Olusegun Ologe, who spoke on the decision of the UK government, is a reflection of what he described as a wider trend of counterfeit goods thriving in economies where enforcement is lax and production is largely informal.
Ologe stated: “In many African countries, limited monitoring and poor border controls have made it easier for fake alcoholic beverages to enter the market, often without proper quality checks. These drinks, typically sold in unbranded bottles or small sachets, pose serious risks to both residents and visitors.”
