So you’ve probably never heard of methanol poisoning.
Neither had I, until I joined Doctors Without Borders!
For a few years now I’d been supporting colleagues on communications about methanol poisoning, and this event was part of that work. We joined the convention of the Philippine Society for Clinical and Occupational Toxicology, in Iloilo City. Toxicologists, scientists, and staff from poison centers around the country got together to talk about (well duh it’s in in the name) toxic substances, their effects on people, and how to protect from these substances.
My colleague Chen Lim has spoken many times about methanol poisoning, but in this case we had a consultant with us: Dr. Knut Erik Hovda from Oslo University Hospital, who probably has done the most research and has the most experience in dealing with methanol poisoning. He was a speaker at the convention. So while he and Chen were speaking with the conference organizers and attendees, I was watching over our booth and telling people about our organization.
After the Typhoon Kristine emergency response, and a week in Cebu, Iloilo was very quiet!
The convention itself was quite small, maybe 200 attendees, so nothing like the pediatrics or anesthesiology conventions with a thousand attendees or more. At the booth it was fairly quiet, and so I managed to work on many other things while the talks were ongoing.
In Iloilo, as in Cebu, excellent food always beckons.
But of course things wouldn’t stay quiet for long. While we were in Iloilo there was a methanol poisoning outbreak in Laos, so in between sessions at the convention, we’d go to KE’s room for media interviews via Zoom or WhatsApp, and I had to coordinate with journalists from Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Earlier than planned, Chen and KE had to fly out. Miraculously, I found time for dinner with college orgmate Johann and his wife Tin, who also loves fountain pens! I was so grateful for a peaceful dinner with good food, where I could nerd out and we could just chill.
She gave me ink and stickers! And food to take home! I almost wept.
It was such a good way to spend my final night in Iloilo. I flew home the next day, already thinking about the next time I would get a chance to visit this lovely city and its lovely people.
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