Five of those hospitalized have been treated due to a different batch of drink than the first affected
At least 12 people have dead and 40 are hospitalized after being intoxicated after ingesting adulterated alcohol that had been sold without control and without sanitary registration in stores in two Ecuadorian provinces. Specifically, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health has reported seven deaths in the province of Esmeraldas, in the north of the country, as well as another five deaths in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, one hundred kilometers west of Quito, the capital. . In addition, eight people are being treated for poisoning in medical centers in Esmeraldas and another 32 in the province of Santo Domingo, as detailed by the Health portfolio in a statement.
The latest situational report from the Directorate of Risk Management of the Ministry of Health has shown that the last five people admitted to Santo Domingo not related to the first confirmed cases, which is why they have made a massive appeal to the population to avoid alcohol consumption, especially if it is of “doubtful origin”. “The risk is that a lot of alcohol is available in stores and homes. We want to warn about the labels ‘Quita Penas’ and ‘Extraneutro’. Be very careful about consuming alcohol of dubious origin,” warned the Ecuadorian Minister of Health, Pepe Ruales, in a missive.
In this sense, Ruales has warned that there are “irresponsible people” who they have marketed alcohol “illegal, without control and without health registration”. He has also noted that in five search operations 50,000 liters of this type of liquor have been found thanks to the work of the security forces. Faced with this situation, the health authorities maintain active surveillance of people who have ingested alcohol and present symptoms, such as blurred vision, abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness and loss of consciousness, urging people who present said symptoms to go to a center medical.