UK Warns Travellers as Nigeria, Others Linked to Toxic Alcohol Drinks

The United Kingdom has added Nigeria and seven other countries to its Foreign Office travel advisory over the risk of methanol poisoning from counterfeit or contaminated alcoholic beverages.

The updated advisory also includes Ecuador, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Uganda, and Kenya, following incidents involving British citizens in those countries.

Previously, the warning list covered Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica, and Fiji, after several high-profile cases, including the deaths of six tourists in Laos last year.

Methanol, a highly toxic industrial chemical found in antifreeze and cleaning fluids, is sometimes illegally added to alcoholic drinks by unscrupulous brewers or vendors to increase quantity or reduce costs. Ingesting it can cause blurred vision, dizziness, confusion, nausea, and, in severe cases, death.

The UK Foreign Office has advised travellers to buy only sealed drinks from licensed establishments and to avoid homemade alcohol, pre-mixed spirits, or cocktails served in buckets or jugs.

It also urged vigilance for symptoms of poisoning, including vomiting and confusion, and to seek immediate medical help if affected.