Death Toll from Industrial Alcohol Poisoning in Fars Province Reaches 100

Following the outbreak of coronavirus and the beginning of a new wave of industrial alcohol consumption and resulting poisoning in Iran, official reports indicate that at least 100 people have died from industrial alcohol poisoning in Fars Province.

According to reports from Iranian media, on Thursday, May 1st, the head of the Fars Emergency Center announced that since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, at least 854 people have sought medical care in the province’s healthcare centers due to industrial alcohol poisoning, of which 100 have lost their lives.

According to the head of the Fars Emergency Center, the ages of individuals who sought medical care during this period due to industrial alcohol consumption ranged from 20 to 40 years old.

This statistic is being reported from Islamic Republic officials while there is no precise information available regarding the accuracy of these figures, and access to real statistics in Iran, as in the past, is not possible.

The wave of industrial alcohol poisoning in Iran intensified after rumors spread that consuming alcohol could prevent coronavirus infection, and reports of poisoning among Iranian citizens in the provinces of Fars, Alborz, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Razavi Khorasan, East and West Azerbaijan, and Kermanshah were also reported.

Previously, it was reported that with the outbreak of coronavirus in various provinces of Iran, at least 600 people have died from industrial alcohol poisoning.

The purchase, sale, and consumption of all types of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in Iran, and law enforcement and the judiciary are making efforts to counter the spread of alcohol consumption by imposing certain punishments such as public flogging.

Existing prohibitions have resulted in the lack of accurate statistics on the rate of alcohol consumption in Iran and its resulting harms. However, some research shows that in addition to the high consumption of alcohol in Iran, the absence of low-alcohol beverages and the presence of harmful impurities in homemade drinks lead to misuse and serious harm to consumers.

Source: Voice of America