3 Died, 1 become blind after drinking hand sanitizer in New Mexico

Three people died and one has become permanently blind from methanol poisoning as they consumed hand sanitizer in New Mexico.

According to the New Mexico Department of Health, seven people drank sanitizer containing methanol. Three people are in serious condition.

Health officials say that the cases were reported to New Mexico Poison Control over several weeks in May, and are linked to alcoholism.

Some people have been reported to use sanitizer to become intoxicated. Officials have banned the use of sanitizer in most prisons so prisoners would not consume it or use it to burn themselves before the pandemic. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the use of sanitizers to prevent the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

Federal officials identified methanol in samples of hand sanitizers made by a Mexican company.

Methanol can be a dangerous item if consumed or applied through the skin. The chemical can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, damage to the nervous system, and even death.

New Mexico health Secretary Kathy Kunkel mentioned, “If you think you may have used or consumed hand sanitizer containing methanol, please seek medical care,”

“An antidote to methanol poisoning is available, but the earlier someone gets treated for methanol poisoning the better the chance of recovery.”

Global coronavirus cases exceed 10 million

Global coronavirus cases pass 10 million tolls on Sunday.

According to a Reuters tally, there are 10,086,969 confirmed cases of the contagious coronavirus.

Out of this figure, 501,393 have lost their battle against the virus whereas 5,464,271 have recovered.