The Ondo State Government has banned
the produc-tion and consumption of
locally-made gin, commonly called
‘ogogoro’ in the state, following the recent
strange
deaths in Ode-Irele.
The Commissioner for Health, Dayo
Akinyanju told reporters in Akure yesterday
that medical reports showed that the
deaths were caused by ethanol poisoning
He said: “Our clinical analysis reveals the
fact that there were no known viruses,
while toxicology reports have confirmed
our prime suspicion of ethanol poisoning.
“We have reviewed our strategies and
embarked on sensitization to let people
know that locally-made gin is prohibited.
“We will also embark on searches because
this batch of methanol-containing gin
must have gone round because four cases:
two alive and two dead have been found in
Odigbo Local Government Area,” he said.
Mr. Akinyanju said stakeholders such as
religious leaders, transporters, youths,
market women, and the relevant
association would be informed of the
development.
He said, “We will start with the entire South
Senatorial District, then move to the
Central Senatorial District.”
According to the commissioner, the
unknown disease has so far claimed 23
lives with 10 other people receiving
treatment.
“Two of them have regained their sights
and are back home.
“We appeal to the general public to desist
from drinking the gin until we are able to
identify the source of contamination or
find out how the methanol got into the
drinks,” he said.
The commissioner said that the state
government was working closely with the
National Agency for Food, Drug
Administration and Control and the
National Orientation Agency to sensitise
members of the public to the dangers of
consuming such drinks.
