This rare episode of alcoholic poisoning has exclusively affected members of the Asian expatriate community of Kuwait.
Thirteen people died and dozens of others were hospitalized after consuming frelated alcohol, the Ministry of Health of this Gulf State announced on Wednesday August 13, which prohibits alcoholic drinks.
“Hospitals have dealt with 63 cases of alcoholic poisoning resulting from the consumption of contaminated drinks in methanol since last Saturday,” the ministry said in a statement.
The import of alcohol was prohibited by the Kuwaitian government in 1964, according to state media, and its consumption was criminalized in the 1980s.
This rare episode of alcoholic poisoning has exclusively affected members of the Asian expatriate community of Kuwait, causing 21 cases of blindness and visual disorders.
According to the ministry, 51 cases required emergency dialysis and 31 patients had to be placed under respirator.
A large part of the Kuwaitian population is made up of migrant workers from South Asia, numerous in the construction, domestic and retail sectors.
