Methanol Poisoning not gods killed Ondo youths- UCH

Management of the University College Hospital (UCH), on yesterday described the recent mysterious deaths in Ode Irele, Ondo State, as a fallout of methanol contained in the local gin taken by the victims in the area.

UCH's Chief Medical Director, Prof. Temitope Alonge, at a news conference held in the board room of the college and attended by experts who performed thorough laboratory examinations on the victims, including a representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a victim of Ode Irele who just regained his sight courtesy of medical attention he, alongside others are receiving at UCH, declared that "the gods are not to blame" over the recent mystery deaths of more than 18 people in Ode-Irele.

Relying on the outcome of the two weeks scientific research carried out on the incident, Prof. Alonge said the scientific proof arising from the various tests conducted on five of the affected patients who were rushed to the hospital after having gone blind, said the unguarded claims by some ill-informed people in the area, flew in the face of medical research.

This, according to him, was contrary to the rumour of 'unseen hands of a goddess and the likes being linked to the deaths of some of the victims in the area.

Specifically, Alonge attributed the gory incident to "methanol poison" following local gin consumption by the affected victims.

At the press briefing where Olorunwa Jero, one of the five patients, who has since recovered his sight fully, Alonge submitted that the damaging effect of the methanol poison had very damaging effects on their nervous system.

According to the CMD, the laboratory investigations included the biochemical analysis of the blood of the patients as well as the urine in addition to the three samples of local gin that was reportedly consumed by the patients.

He said: "The two teams of Clinical Pharmacologist and Laboratory Physicians and Laboratory Scientists have worked tirelessly for almost two weeks to confirm the likely cause of the neurotoxicity exemplified by sudden blindness and correlate their findings with the toxicants in the blood, urine and the local gin samples. This is a display of the excellent working relationship between clinical medicine and laboratory medicine.

Speaking further, the CMD remarked: "We in the hospital and the hospital environment derive our decision from science. Myths and mythology do not derive from medical science hence the gods are not to blame over the Ode Irele incident."

In his testimony, Olorunwa Jero was full of appreciation to the UCH management for the medical attention accorded him and the four others whom he said are regaining their sight gradually.

The UCH boos used the forum to warn the public to be very careful in satisfying their cravings for illicit local gin consumption saying its consequences are deadly apart from damage to other organs of the body like the liver and the kidneys.

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