27 Iranians die after drinking industrial alcohol to prevent coronavirus infection
A woman wears a medical mask as a precaution against coronavirus on March 1 in Tehran, Iran. Fatemeh Bahrami―Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
By Park Si-soo
At least 27 people have died in Iran after drinking industrial alcohol to prevent coronavirus infection, according to local media.
The tragedy happened in the Khuzestan and Alborz provinces of Iran as unscientific treatments to fight the virus spread on social media. Among them was drinking industrial alcohol produced for sanitization, according to the Mehr News Agency.
“Some of the citizens of Ahwaz had heard that drinking alcohol could help them fight the coronavirus, so they used it as a preventive measure,” Ali Ehsanpour, spokesman of Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences, told the news agency.
“One of the victims went blind and some others are in critical condition.”
Iran is one of the biggest victims of the coronavirus pandemic, with at least 237 dead and 7,161 infected since mid-February. Poor medical infrastructure and U.S.-led economic sanctions have left the Middle East country vulnerable to coronavirus infection.