Survivor Of Ode-Irele Saga - I Became Blind After Drinking Ogogoro

One of the survivors of the poisoning Mr Olorunwa Jero, remembers what he went through in the hands of death, after taking an alcoholic substance popularly called Ogogoro in Nigeria.

Mr Jero a vulcaniser and father of six children, explained that ""By the time I was brought here, I had gone blind. I could not identify my wife, I could not identify anything. I did not even know when I arrived here.

"But I thank God and the management
and staff of University College Hospital,
UCH, for bailing me out. I can see all of
you here clearly. I can even identify the
clothes each one of you is putting on."

Mr Jero who was in a thankful mood, expressed his profound gratitude to God, and thank the staff of the teaching hospital for their quick intervention which has saved his life.

Mean while, the Management of the UCH confirmed that five other victims of the poisoning, are respinding very well to treatment.

The victims are believed to have consumed the Methanol substance while consuming(drinking) a local Gin called Ogogoro

Chief Medical director UCH, Professor Temitope Alonge, who confirmed that the Toxin where detected in the Urine and Blood of the victims, stated that five victims who where rushed to the teaching hospital on April 18 2015, had regained their sight that was lost as a result of consuming the Methanol substance

Prof Alonge while speaking with news men in Ibadan, warned nigerians to be mindful of taking local gin, so as to avoid this unpleasant experience.

According to Prof Alonge, series of test where carried out on the victims and samples of the locally made Gin which they took.

The medical practitioner said: "On April
18, the Consultant Pathologist with the
Ondo State Ministry of Health, Dr. Osasan,
called to seek the assistance of the
University College Hospital, Ibadan, in the
management of five patients who survived the Ode-Irele neuro-toxicity saga who were completely blind.

''We agreed to take over the management
of the patients but requested for the samples of the local gin that were incriminated along the fresh blood and urine samples of the patients.

''I contacted the consultant neurologist on
call, Dr. Steeve Oluwole for a comprehensive evaluation of the patients
because of the clinical presentation of the
patients that had died and the ones that
survived since they all pointed to neurotoxicity.

''In addition, the clinical pharmacologists led by Professor Catherine Falade, the laboratory scientists and specialists advisers to the hospital, Professor Segun
Ademowo, were all contacted for the biochemical analyses of the blood of these patients as well as the urine in addition to the three samples of local gin that was reportedly consumed by the patients.

He added that all the relevant health personnel worked for almost two weeks
before they detected the likely cause of the neurotoxicity exemplified by sudden blindness and correlated their findings with the toxicants in the blood, urine and the local gin samples.