Methanol poisoning among travellers to Indonesia

SummaryBackgroundCommon Travel Medicine sources generally do not provide information on the risk of methanol poisoning among travellers who visit Indonesia. The aim of this analysis was to increase knowledge on this topic through reports from bibliographic databases and Internet sources.MethodsCase reports and studies on methanol poisoning in Indonesia were retrieved through PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar database searching.The Google search was used to retrieve the Web Media articles reporting fatal and non-fatal methanol poisoning in Indonesia, in a timeframe from 01.01.2009 to 03.03.2013.ResultsThree case reports of methanol poisoning involving four travellers to Indonesia were found in bibliographic databases. The media sources searching identified 14 articles published online, reporting 22 cases of methanol poisoning among travellers after consumption of local alcohol beverages. The total number of death cases was 18. Some sources report also a large number of cases among the local population.ConclusionsMethanol poisoning is likely to be an emerging public health problem in Indonesia, with an associated morbidity and mortality among travellers and local people. Some strategies can be implemented to prevent or reduce harm among travellers.