One of the mostserious cases was a man from Hanoi who lost his eyesight and sufferedrenal and respiratory failure after drinking homemade wine.
Doctorsat the centre said that they had treated many critical cases like this.Methanol poisoning, induced by the industrial alcohol used to producecheap wine, can cause blindness and even death.
Son said that thenumber of alcohol poisoning cases always rose before and after the Tetholiday. As Tet approaches, the number of patients with acutepancreatitis and alcohol comas was also on the rise. In the last twomonths, two people died after comas due to alcohol.
Medicalexperts advised people to control their alcohol intake and choose wineand alcohol beverages with clear indication of origin.
Consumptionof other beverages will also increase as Tet nears, along with prices,according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. However, consumption ofalcohol is lower than other beverages due to worries about quality.-VNA