Five alcohol addicts from Murang’a County have escaped death by the skin of their teeth after drinking sanitizers to quench their liquor thirst.
The five were lucky to have Ahadi Kenya Trust step in to ensure they were checked into a rehabilitation center to help them beat their addiction.
Ahadi Kenya Director Stanley Kamau asked administrators in the county to round up addicts and take them to rehabilitation centers to curb the future occurrence of such instances.
“You know in alcoholism there is something we call withdrawal symptoms, these are young men who have got withdrawal symptoms because the bars have been closed, the supermarkets have been closed and they have no other source of putting something in their mouth.
“The only other option they have is to drink what is available and that is why today you see I have called them here, I want to start a journey with them,” noted Kamau.
One of the five who drunk sanitizers urged those drinking sanitizers to stop and refrain from taking alcohol altogether.
“Those of us who were drinking sanitizers are now reformed, don’t have a lot of worries when we are at the hands of the government and this company.
“I would urge people to stop drinking sanitizers, even normal alcohol should be stopped when the bars reopen.
We should work, leaders in the area have provided us with chicken and trees,” advised the man.
Sanitizers have a large percentage of alcohol with the World Health Organisation recommending a minimum of 70% alcohol percentage as the most effective in killing the virus when used to sanitize hands and surfaces.
According to medical experts, drinking sanitizer can cause alcohol poisoning, which can cause low blood sugar, coma, and seizures – though this is not common.
Sanitizers are used as a substitute for washing hands with soap and water though studies have shown it is not as effective as the latter.
The Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) on Sunday, March 29, partnered with several private and public sector players to donate 130,000 liters of freehand sanitizers in the fight against Coronavirus to be distributed for free to the public around the country.