The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed high concentrations of methanol in locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions linked to the deaths of 48 people in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The agency disclosed that 182 cases had so far been recorded in connection with the incident, with 90 people admitted to hospital and subsequently discharged.
Six patients remain hospitalised, while 31 others have been treated as outpatients, according to an update issued by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
NAFDAC also reported that five affected people had become completely blind, while two others suffered partial blindness.
Symptoms recorded among victims include headaches, general body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness. Some patients reportedly deteriorated rapidly.
The incident, first reported in early September, was initially linked to 31 deaths involving 20 people in Odigbo Town and 11 in Araromi-Obu. Further investigation and surveillance subsequently raised the reported death toll to 48.
Other affected communities include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo and Oniparaga, with Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu identified as the worst affected areas.
NAFDAC said its investigation had resulted in the arrest of 15 people suspected of involvement in the production, sale and distribution of the implicated locally prepared alcoholic and herbal beverages.
The agency said 15 unlabeled samples of the suspected concoction were subjected to toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening as part of its laboratory investigation.
Acute oral toxicity tests conducted on laboratory mice resulted in critically ill animals across all the samples tested, while approximately 50 per cent mortality was recorded in six of the 15 samples.
Chemical screening also detected Cannabis indica in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol.
According to NAFDAC, methanol is highly toxic and can cause severe health complications, including blindness, organ failure and death when ingested.
The agency stressed, however, that the laboratory findings remain preliminary, with further confirmatory tests ongoing to establish the exact concentration of methanol and determine whether other toxic substances were present in the concoctions.
“Preliminary findings require further confirmatory analyses,” NAFDAC said.
The agency added that the combination of the high mortality recorded during animal testing and confirmed methanol contamination strongly indicated that the samples posed a serious public health risk.
NAFDAC said the findings had prompted immediate regulatory action aimed at preventing further harm, while surveillance, case management, investigations and other risk-control measures continue.
It noted that the geographical spread of the incident, coupled with the rising number of deaths and people requiring medical treatment, constituted a significant public health concern.
The agency cautioned that the figures remained subject to verification as investigations and surveillance activities continued.
NAFDAC commiserated with the families who lost loved ones and urged residents and relevant stakeholders to continue cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
