INDICES> Methanol poisoning from illicit brew

[Bilha Kiama Murage <bmurage@healthnet.or.ke>]

INDICES> Methanol poisoning from illicit brew
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[can anyone help this pharmacist in Nairobi with methanol poisoning
advice? WB]

We have been receiving patients from the slums of Nairobi with the 
above conditions in the Kenyatta National hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. 
Since the problem began four days ago was have an average of 80 
patients admitted every day, some in serious condition, making a 
total of 450  by today. 50 out this number have since died.

  We have done the best we could for the patients and some have been 
discharged. Please share with me any ideas of managing the patients 
apart from what is in the micro medex which is available to us.
It is unfortunate that a preventable ill continues to take a load of our
curative services in form of time, resources and to occupy a hospital 
that has other competing priorities to address.
What is the best way to prepare the ethanol to give the patients on being
discharged can we give gin or whisky?, diluted of course.
As the effects of the methanol and the drug, (ethanol) may appear 
later we consider to keep the patients in for 4-5 days, depending on 
when it was ingested, but again this is stretching on the much needed 
space for new cases which continue drissling in.
Preventive education programs for the public would be the best way 
forward let me get your views e-druggers.

Dr. Bilha Kiama Murage
Bpharm/MPH, MPSK
Chief Pharmacist
Kenyatta National Hospital
Tel 254 2 724547
Email: bmurage@healthnet.or.ke
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