RUSSIA: At first they thought the fever and yellow skin was some new form of hepatitis, a disease common in Russia. Then the patients started dying. Now hospitals across Russia are gearing up to deal with a new epidemic, borne by what is considered a national birthright: vodka.
Since a price hike was imposed on vodka production in July, 295 people have died and 5,000 have been hospitalised after drinking substitutes laced with cleaning fluid, industrial spirit and other toxins. The result has been a national panic, with a state of emergency declared in 14 regions across central and eastern Russia.
Yesterday, the government ordered prosecutors to begin a crackdown on illegal distillers. Roadblocks have gone up in cities in Siberia, with vehicles searched for the bootleg liquor.
In the city of Voroonezh, south of Moscow, several hundred tonnes of industrial liquids have been impounded as a precaution against their being used in the illegal distilling.
Meanwhile, hospitals are filling with patients complaining of fever and agonising stomach complaints.
The variety of toxins found in the blood of the dead are confounding the authorities. In the Saratov region three men died after drinking liquor containing fluid used to clean car engines.
The crisis has been triggered, ironically, by the government's attempt to clean up the vodka industry. Russians drink more of the spirit - an average of 38 litres per person per year - than anyone in the world.
On July 1st, new rules on hygiene standards were imposed on vodka producers, pushing up prices.
But although the cheapest legitimate vodka can be bought for about €3, this is still too high for a country where poverty is widespread.
The result is a booming trade in vodka substitutes. Meanwhile, peasants have returned to the age-old tradition of home distilling, called Samogon.
Alcoholism is rampant in Russia. It is common to see drunks staggering through the streets of the big cities. Government figures say 17,000 have died this year from alcohol poisoning, quite apart from those dying from toxins in bootleg substitutes.
The crisis has also highlighted the yawning gap between rich and poor in modern Russia. While a booming economy and high oil prices have created an estimated 100,000 millionaires, the majority of the 149 million population remain in poverty with an economy blighted by central planning and corruption.
The Union of Alcohol Producers has called for a rethink, saying that the vodka tax should be lowered to allow the cheaper brands of vodka to compete with the substitute.
But Moscow insists it will press on, and this week the ruling party, United Russia, declared its intention to nationalise the vodka industry in an attempt to enforce standards, part of a growing trend by the state to take control of key industries.
This crisis is the most serious to face the national tipple since it was outlawed in 1986 by former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev, triggering a similar boom in illegal distilling.