Brazil Confirms 58 Methanol Poisoning Cases as Death Toll Reaches 15

Overview

• The Health Ministry reports 58 confirmed intoxications and 50 under investigation, with 635 notifications discarded and 15 deaths confirmed in São Paulo (9), Paraná (3) and Pernambuco (3).
• São Paulo leads with 44 confirmed cases and 14 under investigation, while recent confirmed victims include Rafael Anjos Martins in Osasco and Jhenifer Carolina dos Santos Gomes, identified as the state’s ninth fatality.
• Enforcement intensified across states: an operation in Fortaleza seized about 200,000 liters of suspect alcohol for testing, and in Mato Grosso police seized over 7,000 whisky bottles and publicized suspected Ballantine’s Finest lot numbers under investigation.
• Investigations are producing mixed results as some suspected cases are ruled out, including a reported death in Várzea Grande (MT) and a case in Itajubá (MG) where forensic testing found no methanol or formic acid.
• The federal response is scaling up with CIATox/Unicamp and Fiocruz expanding laboratory capacity, new supplies of the antidote fomepizol being distributed, and updated clinical guidance emphasizing rapid antidote use and dialysis when indicated.