The United Kingdom warns its nationals visiting Morocco

The Foreign Office (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) has updated its advice for British travelers. It has added 11 additional countries: Morocco, Bangladesh, India, Jordan, Malawi, Iran, Malaysia, Libya, Nepal, Rwanda and Papua New Guinea, reports the BBC. This update follows a series of methanol poisonings in popular destinations around the world. Methanol is described as an industrial alcohol found in antifreeze and paint thinners, but in some countries it is illegally mixed with spirits and cocktails to reduce costs, according to the Daily Mail. This type of alcohol can cause blindness or death within 12 to 48 hours of ingestion.

"Methanol poisoning can be fatal. It can be difficult to detect when consuming alcohol and its early symptoms resemble those of a classic alcohol intoxication. By the time travelers become aware of the danger, it is often too late," said Hamish Falconer, Minister for Consular Affairs and Crisis Management. He urges anyone suspecting methanol poisoning to seek medical attention immediately. He asks Britons to regularly check travel advice and travel information pages before going on vacation.

Last year, 28-year-old British lawyer Simone White, from Orpington in Kent and a collaborator at the US law firm Squire Patton Boggs in London, specializing in intellectual property and technology, died after drinking a glass in a hostel in Laos. She is one of six tourists who died of suspected methanol poisoning in the backpacker town of Vang Vieng, most likely in a bar serving smuggled alcohol.