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Medical
teams handled 41 cases
Monday, and there
may already be as many
as 20 deaths,
Social Security said.
/ Ministry of
Health courtesy photo.
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Costa
Rica alcohol deaths incorrectly
linked to tourists
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Rica tourism received an
unjustified hit Monday night when
a major U.S. television station
said tourists have been killed
here by poisoned alcohol.
“Tainted alcohol kills tourists in
Costa Rica,” said the headline on
the Tucker Carlson Show, a popular
evening Fox News feature. Carlson
also incorrectly identified this
country as an island near the
Dominican Republic.
Newsman Trace Gallagher then
reported on deaths of tourists in
the Dominican Republic and also
mentioned deaths in Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, photos of possibly
adulterated guaro were aired with
the line that the photos came from
the Costa Rican Ministry of
Health.
Gallagher also said that some
bootleggers deliberately add
methanol to their products to give
the liquid a better kick and
because doing so is cheaper.
In Costa Rica, at least six brands
of guaro have been identified as
possibly containing deadly levels
of methanol. Typical bottles of
alcohol contains traces of
methanol but ethanol is the
dominant ingredient.
Tourism in the Dominican Republic
has been decimated after reports
that at least nine U.S. tourists
died there unexpectedly in the
last few months. Many others have
reported becoming sick at luxury
resorts. The U.S. Federal Bureau
of Investigation is looking into
at least three cases, but
officials in the Dominican
Republic government claim the
deaths are all from natural
causes. That includes a couple in
their 30s who both died at the
same time in their hotel room.
So far there have been no reports
of foreign tourists being affected
by the Costa Rican wave of deaths
and illnesses. Despite warnings
from this agency and also the
Ministry of Health, victims keep
showing up for treatment.
Medical teams handled 41 cases
Monday, and there may
already be as many as 20
deaths, Social Security
said.
The alcohol involved, guaro, is
not the type that normally would
be served in tourist venues. The brands that
have been linked to poisoning
with methanol are Guaro Montano,
Baron Rojo Aguardiente, Timbuka
Aguardiente, Molotov
Aguardiente, Guaro Gran Apache
and Aguardiente Estrella Roja.
The A.M. Costa Rica
team keep asking readers to share
this alert among their contacts.
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Do you know if these brands of
liquor are being sold in your
community?
We would like to
know your thoughts on this story.
Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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