Overview
- This week the Foreign Office launched the ‘Know the Signs’ campaign and updated gov.uk travel advice to list 29 countries where travellers may face a risk of methanol‑contaminated alcohol.
- The government says methanol is highly toxic, that about 30ml (roughly a single shot) can be fatal to an adult, and that smaller amounts can cause permanent blindness.
- Early symptoms such as nausea, drowsiness and a perceived hangover can appear first, with blurred vision, breathlessness, convulsions or coma developing 12–48 hours after drinking.
- Officials advise practical steps to reduce risk: avoid free shots and unlabelled bottles, buy sealed branded beer, wine or pre‑mixed drinks, and drink only at licensed venues.
- The campaign features survivors and bereaved families whose relatives died in past overseas cases and aims to prompt faster medical care and pressure for better safety checks in tourist markets.