Fiji authorities have provided an update after a suspected methanol poisoning at a popular resort.
At least six people, including four Australians, were hospitalised over the weekend.
It’s believed the group became sick after drinking cocktails at the Warwick Resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast on Saturday.
However, just two remain in hospital, according to Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka.
It comes less than a month after six tourists, including two Australian teens, died from a suspected methanol poisoning incident in Laos.
Suspecting poisoning in Fiji
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it was providing “assistance to two Australian families in Fiji,” after reports that four Australians had been hospitalised for suspected alcohol poisoning.
During a press conference on Monday, Gavoka confirmed that all guests who fell ill at the resort were now in a stable condition, with most having been discharged from hospital.
“That’s a good indication that it is not as serious as we expected,” he said.
The Fijian Deputy PM said his government was “awaiting the results of ongoing investigations and lab tests.”
Methanol
Methanol is a colourless liquid chemical typically found in petrol and cleaning products. Consuming a small amount of it can cause serious illness and, in some cases, death.
Methanol is sometimes added to drinks because it’s cheaper than ethanol —the chemical present in drinking alcohol. It can also be present in home-brewed spirits.
Methanol poisoning can be effectively treated within 10 to 30 hours of consumption. However, the symptoms can be confused with ethanol poisoning, leading to delays in seeking treatment.
DFAT
DFAT issued an alert via its Smartraveller website on Sunday urging Australians to remain vigilant of the “risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks in Fiji”.
During an update on Monday, Gavoka reassured travellers that the suspected poisoning was “a very isolated incident”.
“This is the only reported case of its kind that we have experienced in memory. We understand the concern, but we want to emphasise the tourism experience in Fiji is typically very safe, and we have acted immediately to try and discover the cause of what made the guests fall ill,” Gavoka said.
Laos
The suspected poisoning comes after the deaths of six tourists, including two Australians, in Laos last month.
19-year-olds Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones fell ill after a night out in the tourist town of Vang Vieng. They were taken to separate hospitals in Thailand for treatment, where they later died. Eight men have since been arrested in Laos.
