Six travelers died this month from suspected methanol poisoning after visiting the tourist town of Vang Vieng, Laos.

It is believed the travelers – two from Australia, two from Denmark, one from Britain and one from the United States – drank alcohol contaminated with methanol, which is sometimes illegally added to regular or home-brewed alcohol to reduce costs. press.

About fourteen people became ill after a night out in Vang Vieng around November 12. One of these travelers recently returned to New Zealand, according to local news reports.

Methanol is cheaper than ethanol, the alcohol normally found in beer, wine and spirits. Odorless and colorless, drinking 30 milliliters of methanol – less than a standard shot – can be fatal, while consuming just 10 milliliters – or two teaspoons – can cause blindness, according to the non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders.

“Methanol poisoning is a global public health problem that is receiving too little attention,” according to a fact sheet published by the organization.

Since 2019, 943 incidents have been recorded in which more than 39,000 people have been poisoned and approximately 12,900 people have died.

A lack of knowledge about methanol poisoning, both among the public and the medical community where outbreaks are common, is exacerbating the problem, the organization said.

According to Doctors Without Borders, most cases of methanol poisoning occur in Asia.

A Doctors Without Borders website that monitors methanol poisoning says many foreign tourists have fallen victim to methanol poisoning after consuming improperly distilled “arak” in Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands.

According to the website, several people in Indonesia were poisoned by methanol in September after drinking alcohol they ordered online. In July, five students were poisoned after mixing tainted liquor with energy drinks. Three of them later died.

A Facebook page called “Just Don’t Drink Spirits in Bali” advises people to drink beer, cider, wine and duty-free alcohol purchased on arrival in Bali, but to avoid cocktails and shots.

“If someone behind the bar has to pour a drink from a bottle of mixed spirits, there’s a chance you could get methanol poisoning,” says Colin Ahaern, the page’s creator.

“Be careful,” he said. “Bali is a beautiful place, but it has its own pitfalls.”

According to Doctors Without Borders, Iran leads the way in the number of people poisoned by methanol in the past five years.

In April 2020 – the month after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic – more than 5,800 people in Iran were poisoned by methanol in a mass incident that killed around 800 people, according to Doctors Without Borders. The organization says many wrongly believed drinking the alcohol would kill the Covid virus.

Doctors Without Borders warns travelers against drinking alcohol in informal settings and in places where alcohol is not licensed to be sold. It also advises travelers to avoid alcohol that is free or poured from unlabeled containers.

The organization added that many outbreaks and poisonings go undiagnosed because the symptoms mirror those common in food poisoning and hangovers, such as vomiting and drowsiness. But it says methanol poisoning can also cause dizziness, rapid heartbeat, blurred vision and blindness.