The Ministry of Public Health is alerting the public, especially those living in border areas with Haiti, to watch for acute intoxication from drinking “cleren”, “triculí” and “tafiá,” an alcoholic beverage artisanally-made in Haiti.
In a press conference called on Monday, 25 December 2017, the Ministry of Public Health revealed that 33 people have been hospitalized for acute intoxication after drinking “cleren” contaminated with methanol. It is reported that 12 people had died of “cleren” poisoning as of the morning of the 25th.
It is believed that others have died due to “claren” intoxication, but these victims have not yet been identified. Among the victims is a man who had been at the wake of one of the first persons who had died from the intoxication in Pedro Santana, Elias Piña. The intoxication has affected persons living in the provinces of Elías Piña, Santiago, Dajabón and San Juan de la Maguana.
Health officials urge the public not to consume artisanal alcoholic beverages. They also advised that any person experiencing headache, vomiting, abdominal pain, sleepiness, nausea or blurred vision visit the closest hospital immediately. The symptoms of cleren poisoning can be confused with the effects of intoxication from the overconsumption of other common alcoholic beverages.
The Ministry of Public Health officers say the authorities are carrying out efforts to seize the contaminated alcoholic beverages and step up measures to prevent their entering the country. There have been no arrests so far related to the contaminated beverages. A campaign is being carried out over the radio in the border area in both Creole and Spanish to alert the population to the dangers of the popular drinks being adulterated. They alerted the people to be wary of any drink that does not have a sanitary registration.
In the statement, the Ministry of Public Health says that what is known is that in some cases the cleren ingested by the affected persons was purchased in the community of Los Cacaos of the municipality of Du Centre in Haiti, in others it was purchased from people who sell it at their homes, and in others, it was consumed at border towns.
Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, has highly toxic and can cause metabolic acidosis, neurologic sequelae, and even death, when ingested. It is a constituent of many commercially available industrial solvents and adulterated alcoholic beverages.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Hoy
Listin Diario
Ministry of Public Health
26 February 2017
