Challenges of Mass Methanol Poisoning Outbreaks

This monograph summarizes the lessons from the Czech mass methanol poisoning outbreak with 137 cases and more than 50 deaths, one of the largest methanol “epidemics” in XXI century throughout the world. The specific field of the study is defined by a number of challenges the health systems face during the outbreaks: delayed presentation and diagnosis, non-specific clinical signs and features at admission, need for gas chromatography method to detect methanol, limited availability of treatment resources in local hospitals, insufficient evidence of clinical effectiveness and safety of out-of-hospital and hospital therapeutic measures, high mortality rate and underestimated prevalence of long-term health sequelae in the survivors.