80 In Uganda Die From Drinking Banana Gin

POLITICS

» by Jason Weintraub April 24, 2010, 9:07am

Health officials in Uganda have estimated that 80 people have recently died from drinking homemade banana gin laced with methanol, according to BBC News.

Although the Uganda drink banana gin known as “Waragi” has always been popular, it has recently become one of the worst epidemics Uganda has ever dealt with.  The deaths have occurred over the past three weeks in the south-western Kabale district, and authorities are now conducting door to door searches for the gin.

Patrick Tusiime claims,

“So many people had died because relatives did not want to admit that people had been drinking the gin, known as Waragi.”

The gin is drank by many of the poor Uganda people because they cannot afford industrialized alcohol sold in stores.   Over 130 bottles have been seized from homes during searches, and authorities hope to obtain all of the bottles that the citizens are hiding.

Most people who died of the gin became blind and suffered liver and kidney damage before dying.

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