Overview

• The Health Ministry reports 11 confirmed cases linked to adulterated alcoholic drinks and says 116 suspected cases are under investigation, with one lab-confirmed death in São Paulo and other deaths being reviewed.
• São Paulo state accounts for the vast majority of identified cases, while reports note detections in additional states and in Brasília.
• The health minister, Alexandre Padilha, advises avoiding distilled beverages—especially clear spirits—citing an unusual surge that already matched a typical annual total in recent weeks.
• São Paulo’s Civil Police say methanol tainted falsified alcohol and are probing whether contamination was intentional or accidental, as federal police examine possible organized-crime links.
• The federal government set up a crisis situation room and is seeking antidotes, including pharmaceutical ethanol and imported fomepizole, while bars pull cocktails from menus and consumers shift to beer and wine.